


Laws Of Attraction

by GoldenQueenx, HeddaGab



Series: Fics In Progress [6]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, College, Divorce, F/M, I'm not going to tag all characters, Law, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship, controlling parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 08:06:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13267248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenQueenx/pseuds/GoldenQueenx, https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeddaGab/pseuds/HeddaGab
Summary: Regina Mills, a double majoring student at Washington U Seattle, lives her life by her mother's standards. R.W. Gold, an acclaimed lawyer and professor at Washington U Seattle, lives his life from office to classroom. / Slow Burn / GoldenQueen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First and foremost, I need to thank Heddagab for her prompt and help in this otherwise it never would have been possible. Her encouragement, smart as hell brain and ideas helped fuel the flame of this fanfic, and also a huge thank you to her for being my beta-reader in this journey and helping me correct so much in this.
> 
> How To Get Away With Murder inspired. You do not have to watch the show to understand this fic.
> 
> I try to use Grimm fairy-tales as well as other mythology in the crimes committed as well as the cases. I will try to note each thing that is used at the beginning of the chapters, in case anyone gets curious or might not know them. In this one; Cinderella.
> 
> Rated Explicit for future chapters

The only thing worse than sleeping late on a day of class is sleeping too little.

Regina pushed herself up into a seated position against the world's most uncomfortable bed known to any college freshman. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she turned her head in the direction of her roommate who had only arrived yesterday. Turns out she had been on the waiting list and driving here on her own wasn't exactly the best idea. The brunette, however, couldn't fathom being someone who had less than twenty four hours to become acquainted with the place or put away belongings.

For Regina, time was always a constant in her mind. Everything she did operated on being on time or setting aside a certain amount of minutes for everything. Just like her mother did, like her mother wanted her to do. Because being the only child to a cardiovascular surgeon and one of Seattle's most notorious judges called for being punctual by all accounts.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Her dorm-mate rolled over in the bed across the room, hand slipping from beneath the sheets to drape over the mattress as sleepy eyes found hers. The blonde's hair was disheveled about her head, giving her the look of someone who had been in a fight with a notorious hair puller. "It's-"

"I know what time it is." Regina scoffed, sighing out a breath that only served to cause every muscle in her frame to tense. The last thing she needed was someone reminding her of how little time she had to get a sufficient amount of sleep. She had tried for the past three hours to relax and slip back into her slumber, only to be reminded of time slipping from her fingertips at the tick, tick, tock of the clock on her nightstand. "Go back to sleep, Emma."

A groan was the girl's response as the room fell back into it's silent darkness, that of which was causing Regina to hear a ringing in her ears. As quietly as she could, she slipped from her bed and onto her feet then reached for her long coat that would cover her pajamas and tugged it onto her frame before slinking out of the door and into the hallway of their dormitory.

The amount of lewd noises that echoed back from behind closed doors caused her feet to move faster as she made her way to the stairs and descended in a timely fashion. She had exactly two hours to kill before she would need to head out to the bus station to get to the building of her first lecture for the day ten minutes ahead of time. At the current state of her hazy mind, she needed coffee and she needed a copious amount of it.

"Graham." She nodded in the direction of the man who was currently in his senior year. He gave her a nod on his way up the stairs before turning towards her, Regina angled her body so that she wouldn't have to look over her shoulder at him.

"Didn't you get the new girl? The one who was ridiculously late arriving here?" He asked, hand on the railing as a smirk tugged at the edges of his lips. In all honesty, Regina could see how many of the girls in their dorms found him appealing with his trimmed facial hair and twinkling eyes and lips that could give anyone images bordering on explicit. The brunette just gave him an uncomfortable nod, seeing as she had expected to just go straight to consuming caffeine at a shaming pace. He was delaying her, costing time that sure she had but didn't want to give up. "Pity for you. I'm glad I didn't get stuck with her. I bet she's a loose cannon."

And as he turned to head to his room, Regina took in a deep breath and began her way to the caffeine she needed so that she could calculate precisely what she could do in the time she had left before her first class of the day. In the kitchen, she found Ruby who had already begun work on a latte. The girl was employed at the coffee house The Grind ( Regina found this name very unseemly and was sure her mother would too if she were to ever visit the campus ) which was on campus and helping her with tuition. "Ruby, what does the weather look like today?" Regina asked, having had time to become aware of her early morning runs before the term started.

"Cold as a witch's tit right now. But the second the sun rises, it will be a beautiful one." Ruby was the type of person that caused ease in those she spent time with. The air around her was relaxed and the aroma of whatever perfume or products she used reminded everyone of a field of flowers on a good summer day. Regina could almost taste the scent on her tongue each time she found herself in her company. "Coffee?"

She nodded in agreement as she slumped onto one of the stools near the island, hands splaying out on the surface as she glanced at the watch on her wrist. It had been something her mother gave her to remind her that the time she spends is precious and spending it dallying is of no use to anyone. She had one hour and thirty-nine minutes before she needed to catch the bus.

"You really need a way to relax. You are literally wound so tight, I'm wondering when you'll snap."

Those words only worked beneath her skin, reminding her of the many moments she thought she felt something snap inside of her when she were younger. Like the time her mother woke her up in the middle of the night, brought her outside where she had captured a rabbit and— Shaking her head, Regina pushed the image away, refusing to revisit the nightmares of her youth. "Someday I will. Just not today." Teasing, she tried to play up on everyone's vision of her, like she had in high school, joking at the words thrown in her direction. Even if Ruby didn't mean it in a harsh way, autopilot had been set in motion and so agreeing was the only viable option.

"One coffee. Straight up with a pinch of cane sugar..." Pushing the coffee in the direction of the brunette, she gave it a distasteful look before adding "You should really try adding some, you know, regular sugar or something to it. It's better that way. With the sugar, sometimes loads of it, it can get the kicker started real quick."

Regina forced a laugh at the word she used for heart, wondering how many times she had heard that from her uncle Benjin throughout the years. "Kicker." Another chuckle left her lips before she brought the steaming cup up to her lips, gave it a blow and then began gulping it like it were water. Ignoring the burn on her tongue had become easier after a while, in fact the nausea from drinking it fast had also become less over the years.

"Okay coffee fish. Come up for air." Ruby reached towards the brunette and forced the cup out of Regina's hands and placed it on the surface of the island before leaning forward. "It's your first class. You don't have to be wide awake for it. First days aren't that serious."

"First impressions are everything." Her voice was bland as she repeated words that had come from her mother on many occasions. "I will make a good one. Or at least a decent one."

"Have it your way, but if you keep it up — you'll be making a trip to the campus clinic instead."

Refusing to listen, she took the cup back in hand and finished off the rest of the contents with a smile on her face. The people here had no idea what she had been through in her life just to get here, what means of preparation she had to endure to become a student who is double majoring in order to appease her mother and herself at the same time.

When she first mentioned it to Ruby, she remembered the freshman guffawing at her as if she had told a joke but when she realized that Regina had been serious, she called her a glutton for punishment. Graham however, had given her a pat on the back upon overhearing and his words of praise caused her face to flush an embarrassing shade of pink.

Pushing off from the stool, she turned and headed back up the stairs and into the hallway before slipping through the bedroom door that belonged to her and Emma. The blonde was just a lump of covers as she had pulled them completely over her head. Sighing, Regina fought a giggle that tried to rise in her throat before shrugging out of her jacket and grabbing the pages she had printed out of the email that had been sent out two days ago for the students to study before coming into the lesson today. Regina had read them over five times since then and intended on doing so another two before the clock reached one hour left before the buses.

Grabbing her small flashlight from her nightstand, she climbed into bed and slipped beneath the covers before turning it on and aiming it at the colorful pages she had marked and outlined pin points of. The email had been sent from Professor Gold, the one who she would be meeting later today with the rest of the students who had secured their seats in the class before the semester started.

She spent the rest of the twenty minutes she had rereading the words and noting everything she had highlighted before switching off the flashlight and slipping from her bed. She grabbed her clothes that she had laid out for the day and walked into the en-suite bathroom, closing the door behind her as quietly as possible so to not wake the slumbering blonde.

She spent fifteen minutes in the shower, fifteen minutes doing her hair and brushing her teeth, ten minutes getting dressed and applying makeup. Slipping from the bathroom, she noted the vacant bed that belonged to her dorm-mate before grabbing her school bag, slipping on her shoes, and grabbing her printed out email before bounding out of her room and towards the main floor. "Ruby?" She asked but received no response.

"She left ten minutes ago." Emma stated as she dug into a sugary bowl of cereal, sitting at the island still in her pajamas that had a yellow beetle plastered all over it like some alternate universe Herbie. "What did you need?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." She had set five minutes aside just to talk with Ruby this morning about her schedule to see what hours the girl would be working tonight so she could drop by. Every other time when Ruby wasn't on the clock at The Grind, the other employees would usually get her order wrong and cost her minutes she didn't have to waste.

Glancing down at her attire, she adjusted the hem of the cream colored dress that her mother had packed for her. Every article of clothing she had belonged to the tastes of her mother and not of her own accord. Every-time she had tried to pack something she liked, Regina would somehow find it in shreds in the garbage bin or thrown to the far back of her closet where - she guessed - her mother wagered she wouldn't find it. Her hair had been pulled away from her face and collected at the back with a small jeweled clip that allowed it to flow down with the rest of her dark curls that reached a few inches below her shoulders. Her long hair had become a favorite of her mother's, claiming she looked the part of a doctor and yet she thought being a lawyer would be best with shorter hair and it would also suit a surgeon, but her mother denied her the trip to the hairdresser last minute.

"Do you have class soon?" Regina asked as she made her way around the island and toward the bowl of fruit situated on the counter. Plucking an apple from the bowl, she then reached for the handle of the refrigerator and pulled it open — searching for her container of juice that she had prepared early yesterday for herself. "Have you seen-"

"The juice? Shit, I should have known that was someone else's." Emma sighed, her spoon plopping into the bowl of cereal before she thrust a finger in the direction of the sink where the empty on-the-go container was laying.

"It was labeled." Regina tried but failed not to allow her anger to rise before she turned in the direction of the blonde. She would not have the time to squeeze more before she had to be at the bus stop. "Labeled!" The outburst caused the blonde to look at her in a way that she remembered she would have looked at her mother back at the home she shared with her parents. Opting for not making a fool of herself or causing the girl to think she had lost it, she softly stated "I'll make sure to put the label facing the front next time. Clearly my fault." Shutting the door, she gripped the apple with such force that her fingernails were digging into the crimson skin before she replied "Nothing to worry about."

Within five minutes she was at the bus stop with more time to spare as she waited patiently, digging into the fruit she had taken with her. The apple was crisp and close to perfect as the juices caressed her tongue, she would gladly stay here like this for as long as it took to enjoy the ripe fruit. Apples had become a favorite of hers long ago when she had visited an orchard that belonged to a friend of her father's, one that her dad had ended up buying in no time — thanks to her mother's interest in apple cider.

Closing her eyes, she could almost feel the sun's warm rays against her skin and smell the fresh scent of cut grass that had filled her senses many summers beneath the orchard trees. The sound of the breaks on the bus squeaking pulled her from the memory and once the doors opened, she pushed herself up and onto the bus, dropping in the needed fair before finding a seat closest to the door that was unoccupied. The smell of the leather seats caused her brows to furrow, being reminded of the school buses she had to take during elementary long before her mother put her two sense in arriving with a _aware_ parent who had a _hand in_ her education.

"Where are you headed?" Graham had made his way over to her seat and was now leaning, hands on the back of the bench as he asked her the question that she could have sworn he already knew the answer to. "Mind?" At the shake of her head, he slipped in onto the seat next to her and placed his arms wide on the back of it.

The feeling of his arm behind her head, so close to her neck, caused her body to tense. "Criminal Justice one hundred." she stated matter-of-fact like as if the course was something to revel at and in most ways , to her, it was. She had taken her major in Biology for her mother but the political science with a focus on criminal justice had been her means of putting in motion things that would never happen in a million years if her mother had a say.

"Oh fuck. Is that with Professor Gold or the other guy?" He asked as he flexed the hand behind Regina and began picking at strands of her hair with his thick fingertips.

"Gold. It's with Professor Gold." Answering softly as she shifted in her seat, trying but failing to disengage his fingers from within her hair. She didn't need it to look unkempt, she needed her first impression to matter to everyone even if it truly wouldn't leave any lasting mark — it mattered to her. "Could you...please stop doing that. I don't mind it but I-" Sighing, she glanced down at her half eaten apple and tried her best at sounding... _kind_. "I cannot have my hair messed up, it has to be as I remember it having looked in the mirror this morning."

"Sure. Yeah. Sorry." Graham apologized, shifting so that instead of his hand in her hair, his arm was completely against the back of her neck — warm palm on her shoulders. "You're blushing again..."

Smiling, she angled her body facing him so that she could reach out and place a palm against his stubble. It felt rough to the touch, prickly and not soft like the curls on his head. "I know we've kissed and all, but _that_ doesn't mean we're _dating_." She repeated the same words he had mentioned to her yesterday when she had tried to sit with him in the library. Her schedule had allowed her a moment of time with him, ten minutes reprieve away from her books and yet — that was what he had left her with.

"Right." He removed his arm from around her, scratched his head and pulled away — up and out of the seat before heading back to where he had been sitting before asking to join her.

Turning back to her apple, she began to finish it off as the bus slowed down in front of her destination. Pushing herself onto her feet, she bounded towards the door and slipped out in record time. The watch on her wrist continued to tick tick, tock away as she walked up the path, dropped her apple into the campus trash bin and pushed through the door.

Five minutes earlier than she thought, which meant fifteen minutes until the class started. She had arrived earlier than she expected and yet, she pushed through the door and made her way to a seat in the middle of the tier, making sure to be in perfect range for answering questions or being called upon. Being too low or too high would just not suit her as she saw it as too eager or not eager enough. Taking her seat, she brought out her pen, the book she needed for the course and placed the papers atop of it that she had printed from the email. With time to spare, she began going over the words once more. Losing herself in committing all of the points of focus to memory.

Students began to pour into the room slowly around two minutes til the start of the class, each finding their seats with ease and talking among themselves in a loud chatter — which caused Regina's focus to waver. Still, she pushed on trying to ignore the words spilling from lips of people she had yet to become acquainted with.

"You're in this class too?"

The familiar voice of her dorm-mate, Emma, cut through Regina like being run through with a sword. Glancing up at the culprit who stole her juice, she forced a smile and gave a nod. "What are you majoring in?"

"Criminology. Headed for the Bureau, I hope." The blonde nodded before taking the seat next to the brunette and bringing her satchel onto her lap. "Dad's in the FBI, Mom's in the police force, you know, born in the justice system — raised in the justice system so out of the justice system I came and will go." The speech seemed to be something the blonde had practiced or heard many times over regardless of how ridiculous it sounded. Regina just gave a nod and turned back to her paper, trying her best to go over it one more time before—

The door's to the lecture hall burst open and in walked Professor Gold dressed in a well tailored suit, clean shaven and with his hair hanging just above his shoulders. His eyes never wavered to the direction of his students, instead they were much more focused on his briefcase as he opened it, pulled out a few documents before closing it with a loud snap and placing it on the floor nearest the podium. "Welcome to Criminal Justice one hundred. Although the seats are full, I'm hoping at least one of you will prove to me that you being accepted was for a purpose and not just to make my day any harder than it has to be. I..." Turning so that he could now set eyes upon the ones who had signed up for the class, he gave a sigh and finished with a look of contempt on his features. "..am Professor Gold. Unlike my colleagues, I will not be teaching you how study the law or how to theorize it. You will be learning how to practice it in a courtroom. If this is not to your liking, let me know and I will look at the list of people who I had to turn away so that you could have a seat in this very cramped space."

"Fuck, I wanted to study and theorize." Emma whispered, leaning into Regina's personal space before tapping her pen very annoyingly against her textbook. "I don't think I'm going to need this for my training..."

For a moment, he allowed the student who had begun talking a second to shut up before he felt the need to call her out in front of the entire class.

"Shh." Regina tried but the blonde kept talking regardless, pulling the brunette's attention away from the professor who seemed so sure of himself yet so up tight.

"I mean, I'm not really going to be in a courtroom, am I? I know there's duty and such...like you know jury duty and-"

"Miss..." His voice was laced in venom as he tried to steady his tone in lieu of teacher/student protocol and yet, she hadn't stopped the second she started - had she? It was never his intention to pick on any one student but if she intended on taking up his class with her incessant whispering, then he would have to put the proverbial foot down.

"Swan!" The blonde piped up, glancing in the direction of the professor.

"Right. Would you mind enlightening us on why you're talking to your friend there instead of focusing on what I'm trying to help you learn?" The question wasn't really meant to be answered and yet he knew she would do so regardless of the fact and so he waited, with clasped hands at his front as he watched her find her voice which seemed to come pretty easy for the blonde.

"Oh. It's just ... I thought that maybe the whole studying and theorizing part would come in handy with my training for the Bureau.." A sea of students began to cackle before the Professor held up a hand to shush them.

"Okay. Not my problem. Sit back down and allow the class to learn without your whispering." When Emma took her seat, he added "Thank you."

Regina rolled her eyes at the blonde, wondering how on the first day someone could literally turn herself into a laughing matter of the entire room. They were here to learn, not take up the time of others by presenting them with their own opinions on why they should or should not take this class.

"We'll start with the case study of Mother Dearest." With the press of a button on the remote in hand, the screen to his left lit up with the face of who the pressed called Mother Dearest. "Give us the facts... David Nolan."

The man he addressed stood, he was one row away from Regina and around five chairs down. He looked a bit older than her, dressed in jeans and some atrocious plaid shirt as he spoke with precision and confidence that she admired. "The Commonwealth v Victoria Tremaine is a case of involuntary manslaughter. The defendant, Miss Tremaine, is the step-mother to the seventeen year old victim, Ella."

"What happened when Ella proposed the option of attending a school dance function with her two step-sisters..." The name was lost to him as he pointed in the direction of someone halfway across the room from the first person he had called upon. "..you."

A fair skinned student stood up from where she was seated nearest the front, book clasped to her chest as she spoke. "Miss Tremaine counter posed that if she were to finish her chores in time that she could indeed go to the dance, her sisters having already completed theirs upon returning home from school. The young girl was said to have been in a state of distress, taking scissors to the dresses of her stepsisters in an attempt to sabotage their efforts of attending."

"And what did the step-mother do to teach the girl a lesson..." he began walking along the length of the area below the tier, eyes trained on his students. "Anyone?"

"Miss Tremaine locked her step daughter in the attic where the young girl proceeded to throw herself from the window in the room which caused her untimely death. Belle French." The woman spoke with a tone that did not sit well with Regina and for some reason she wanted to strangle her.

"Okay, can someone tell me what caused this to become a case of involuntary manslaughter when it had began as a manslaughter charge?" He pointed towards Regina and her heart felt as if it had leapt into her throat for whatever reason, she was uncertain, but decided to file it away as excitement to answer a question she was indeed ready for.

Pushing herself onto her feet, she brushed the hem of her dress down and began to speak with her chin held high like her mother had taught her to do. "The report showed blunt force trauma to the head. First claims were that it was suspected that she died before the fall, having been struck from behind as of the analysts for the police force claimed. Upon a second autopsy and further discussion with a professional — it was said that voluntary would be ruled out in lieu of lack of proper evidence and sworn testimonies from the aforementioned." Once he nodded, she took her seat again and couldn't help beaming at how well she had handled it and on her first day nevertheless.

"Whoa, this was his case?" Emma asked, having leaned over to glance at the papers in Regina's hand, apparently having not gotten the email in time since she had arrived late to the school.

"Yes, it was. He's the one who got the court to throw out the manslaughter charge." It had kept her hooked for the past few days since she received the email, the precision he had executed in getting the defendant's case knocked down to a misdemeanor. A dance she wished to one day fulfill in a courtroom.

"Now. Let's say she is faced with manslaughter once again. The case is being dug up and sufficient evidence places her at the scene. Why was she there? Hadn't she claimed to be downstairs, with a neighbor at the time of the suicide? What evidence do they have? Get creative — study it and give me something to think about. Give me reason to doubt my act in getting her off."

Emma chuckled, raising her textbook to hide her giggle. "I'm sure he got her off, after she handed him a fat ass check for the act itself."

"That is highly inappropriate.." Regina noted as she began to write down the words he spoke to them so that she could go over them again once back at her room, then get started on the task at hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, a huge thank you to my co-writer and beta reader: Heddagab.
> 
> In this chapter, Grimm/Fairytale references: Das Mädchen ohne Hände (The Girl Without Hands) and a play on The Three Little Pigs.

As far as first days go for a class, this one had to have been the easiest in the past four years.

Gold walked over to the desk in the middle of the lecture area, to the left of the podium and began scattering the papers out so that he could give them a good once over. It was a collection of essays that had been turned in from last years class. He rubbed at some sleep that was still in his left eye, having not gotten barely a wink the night before due to mulling over the evidence log for his current case — he couldn't thank the universe enough for good scotch or coffee - the latter he intended on downing the second he got to the office.

He liked to keep papers like these from classes before the currents so that he could compare each star student with those who show potential in the new group. Especially since every year he took on a few interns for the remainder of the semester so that they would have something to add to their resumes — and he didn't want to choose the wrong student or he would end up with too many beneath his feet while he tried to work.

Moving a few around, he then bent down to dig into his briefcase, ignoring the pounding in his head, retrieving files he had drawn up two nights ago of this semesters students. He began to place each file on a corresponding essay from the previous years class — taking notes of who he intended on calling upon this week to give their ideas vocally.

_Ding, Ding._

His cellular device had begun alerting him of, what seemed to be, numerous texts that were coming in at a rapid pace. Yet, he kept his eyes trained on the files of his students set atop the papers of those he had last year. Although the first day was never the end-all-be-all; he knew he had seen enough to get a feel for his students and for those who intended on slacking throughout his classes by the look on their faces or the amount of attention they were paying when he spoke. Thrusting his hand into the pocket of his trousers, he pulled out his phone and ignored the text message symbol — instead pressing on his notes so that he could type up a few names aligned with students from last year. When he was finished, that was when he opened the text message and began reading what had been sent from his ex-wife Milah; who had always seemed to send more than one text rather than bunching it together in one like he preferred to do.

Milah: Are you home?

Milah: Killian is coming over in an hour to pick up some of my things.

Milah: The ones in the attic. We will get the garage boxes later.

Milah: Don't tell me you're still at work?

Milah: If you are...

Milah: Killian can come by sometime later this week.

Milah: Just let me know which day will work best for you.

Milah: And which time.

Seeing her name sent his head back to the days when she would be sending him messages about a dinner they were holding at their home, asking when he would be there because the guests needed to see the two of them answering the door with a smile on their faces. Milah was the type of woman who enjoyed holding dinners and as much as Gold liked the idea, the people she invited — he never knew or cared to know. But as always, he tried to put on a facade for his wife and the people she knew.

Just like he had tried to save their marriage more often than not. And how he took this damned teaching job for her because she wanted 'more' from him. Whatever the fuck that meant, he wasn't quite sure, considering the night she mentioned it — she wouldn't elaborate which only led to her screaming nonsense while he left so that she could calm down.

Clicking on her contact profile in his phone, he selected the number and allowed it to start a call as he brought the phone up to his ear and waited to hear her voice. Inwardly, he hoped Killian wouldn't answer — mainly because he didn't need the reminder that his wife had traded him in for a younger model.

"Hello?" And there it was, the Irish lilt and free spirited charm.

"Killian." Gold began, eyes going back to his work as he switched around a few of the students' files that he hadn't yet recorded down in the digital notes on his phone. "Put Milah on the phone."

The thing with speaking to people who didn't know him personally, was that he could appear to either hate your guts or not have time for you. Both of which he felt for Killian in this moment but it's not like that would change what he would have said regardless of his marriage having ended and then her finding someone to replace him in a record amount of time. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, mate, I heard you." The faint click of a door closing echoed back on Gold's end before Killian spoke again, this time in a hushed tone. "I know we haven't really been able to talk yet and I just wanted you to know that, Mili and I, we were never — well you know — going behind your back...before." A nickname;the fucker had a nickname that sounded more like it belonged to someone that had not been his wife for twenty plus years.

He could give the man a pat on the back if he were standing next to him, yet he didn't want to. What made him think that he cared to hear that shit? That his wife wasn't cheating on him? Did Killian forget what he did for a living? He knew she wasn't cheating, hell, he had no reason to think she was in the first place because of the kind of wholesome woman she was from the get go. "Yeah. Okay. Put Milah on the phone."

"I just wanted you to know that so there's no hard feelings. Really thought you would appreciate it." The sound of the door opening, then followed by footsteps before he spoke again. "You know, you have to hand that to me."

He could almost see the smile on the younger man's lips and it made him chuckle before biting out "What do you want, Killian? A damn gold star for not fucking my wife before the papers were filed? I really couldn't care less when the two of you began, whatever it is you have, now put my ex-wife on the phone."

"Hey" Milah's voice echoed back before he heard her whisper something completely unintelligible to someone that wasn't him, then bringing her attention back to the phone call said "Did you get my texts? I really need those things out of the house."

"Yeah. About that." He wanted to say that he could be there, but the idea of moving this along quickly just wasn't sitting well with him, so he opted for the truth — with a slight embellishment. "I'm working late tonight. Come by Saturday morning before I head to the office and I'll have the box ready. I have class on Wednesday and Friday, so the weekend would be best."

"I almost forgot you have class three times a week." She sighed on the other end and he could imagine her at some island in the kitchen with a glass of wine near her hand but she wouldn't grip it, not until she were off the phone. Her idea of paying attention to people when they talked reached new levels that he could never quite grasp but always had tried to. "I bet you have every seat filled again this year, huh?" He didn't answer, instead he tried to wait to see if there was anything else they needed to cover because the longer he listened to her voice, the harder it was to fight the urge to call her out for always making him try harder than she ever did. "The weekend sounds good."

"Okay." And with that he hung up, pushing the phone back into his pocket and trying to focus on anything but the memories flooding in of times long gone, causing him to want to bite more than bark at any and everything. But he wouldn't, no, not on bad day or a good one.

The sound of the classroom door opening, muddled voices of students pouring in, then closing shook him from his reverie as he brought his eyes to rest on the student who had called herself Belle French during the first day of class.

"Professor Gold?" The confident voice she used to make a point in class had been replaced by something a little more raspy, bordering on sweet and yet laced with something — but he wouldn't jump to the obvious so quickly. "I have a question about the assignment. If I'm not bothering you, that is." She was slowly moving away from the closed door.

"What's the question?" He asked, glancing down real quick to look at the files, seeing as he had been busy before she walked in. Fingertips dancing along the papers before glancing back up and cocking a brow at the young woman. He wasn't surprised to get a visit from at least one student that had attended the first day, in fact, during pre-law there were a lot of questions that were useless but pupils always seemed to want to ask them anyway. Being in the profession he is, he tried as always to get an answer out with some type of string that would make them work towards figuring it out for themselves next time.

"If..If I have multiple ideas, am I allowed to try that?" Her book and papers were held against her ribs so tight as if she were afraid a student would come in and take a peek at her notes... but then again the way in which it was pressed right below the obvious swell of her breasts - in the low cut garment she had worn on her first day - It reminded Gold of how a corset would truss up the cleavage — and he couldn't help but wonder if that had been something she intended on doing in a means to draw his eyes to the one place most young students _( who wanted to catch the eye of their teachers )_ thought professors cared to see.

Gold did not care to see it and he hoped with all of his might that he was indeed wrong about the girl and that she would instead put her focus on studies and not trying to get his attention in other matters because that would not work on him. He'd been a teacher for years and he was not unused to the persuading nature of those looking for an easy A. And never once had he fallen for it, he wouldn't now either.

Giving her the benefit of the doubt, he pushed all notions out of his head and instead decided to work towards collecting all of the papers and files he had spread out along the desk while running over what he would say. After gathering the files, he bent to thrust them into his briefcase, brushing the hair that had fallen in his face back before standing, noting now that the student had made it to her destination — which felt far too close for comfort. "I think it would be best if you stuck to one. If you have more and go into explaining them, that would take away from the other students and also render your first argument rather useless if you believe more than one occurrence." He looked away for a minute to glance at the empty sea of chairs in the room, pausing to allow her a moment to think on his words before he added "Imagine you're standing in a courtroom, Miss French." he pointed at the empty chairs, which drew her attention away from him and to an imaginary jury - at least he hoped — then he added; "Would the judge or jury feel like sitting there all day listening to you go from one reason to the other? You're not a jester-are you?" He knew that when evidence is presented, it's best not to look like you haven't prepared for the day in question. An unprepared lawyer, is a bad one. When the student shook her head, he gave her a nod, collected his briefcase and began walking towards the door. "Believe in your work. If you believe it, a jury will be more inclined to." And with that, he pulled open the door and pushed out into the hallway where only a handful of students were lingering and going over notes.

He made his way through the building quickly with swift footfalls; unscathed and unstopped by any other students in his class. Just like most days, once he was outside, he followed his usual bee-line walk to his car. This being something he had done since he got the job in a means to avoid being stopped outside by other colleagues or the like. Gold wasn't much of a people person since they never really knew how he worked and usually found themselves being either offended or upset at his reserved nature. Pulling open the door of his black Cadillac, he slipped behind the wheel and sat his briefcase in the passengers seat before closing the driver's door and thrusting the key in the ignition, turning over the engine.

Right before he began to switch the car out of park, the passenger's side door opened, before the face of his partner at the firm appeared. "Can I get a ride to the office?" Neal had a look to him that Gold had seen on very few men his age. With wide-set round eyes and a forehead that looked more to belong to a bulldog when scrunched up, he gave the impression of a lost puppy — which happened to be the first thing that caused Gold to ask him what was wrong one day after a class years ago.

Come to find out that the man asking for a ride right now, had lost his parents in his freshmen year of college ( the matter reminded Gold himself of how he had grown up with his aunts after his mother and father had both checked out of the raising a kid right phase ) — back then he had appeared lost and even came in late to his class on numerous occasions drunk or hungover. Where he was headed, Gold knew, wouldn't give him a life he was meant to have. So — he took to helping, teaching and guiding him along the way as if he were his own son.

After the semester was over, he had told him that if he continued on the path he was on, the one where he would end up out of Law School and well into his career — Gold promised him that he would have a spot at his law firm. And he had kept his word, much to the surprise of Neal.

He had been working with him ever since. Gold gave him a nod and the smile that formed on Neal's face warmed his heart. Once his protégée was inside of the car, shifting so that he could move the briefcase out of the passengers side seat and put it in the floorboard - Gold pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, headed for the office. "What are you doing on campus, anyway?" He asked, taking a right once the light ahead switched to green. "Shouldn't you already be at the office answering the phone or something?" He teased, shooting Neal a smirk and waiting for the laughter that was sure to come.

"I work with you as an associate and lawyer, not a secretary." He cackled, just as Gold hoped he would, then continued his sentence. "We need a new one, by the way. Tink gave her notice three days ago and we haven't even held any interviews for the position." Neal gave the briefcase in the floorboard a good look over, reaching forward to brush his thumb against the black coating. He had always hated the look of these types of models, having preferred a more relaxed looking bag instead of the up-tight hard as a rock cases that had the snaps. "You need a better looking one of these. Like a soft leather or something, a satchel of sorts even — one that buckles. These are so..." he remembered the crime scene photos of one of the most notorious murders in Seattle that had occurred back in the fifties and gave a nod as if his mentor could hear his thoughts. "Like something at that crime scene. The one in the fifties with the people they thought were worshipers or something. And the guy had cut his own daughters hands off, claiming the devil asked him to do it because he couldn't have her if she had clean hands?"

Gold chose to ignore his attempt at persuading him to get a new briefcase due to the fact that his current one had been a gift from his ex-wife Milah, the first gift she had ever given him - in fact. And although there had been many times he wanted to replace it, sentimentality and the symbolism of it pushed him to keep the thing.

"Have I mentioned how morbid you are in the mornings?" Smiling, Gold shook his head after the sentence left his lips. He knew exactly what case he was speaking of, it hadn't been his, but he had loved it the second he knew it existed. In fact, it was one of the things that pushed him to want to get into Law in the first place. Neal and him had bonded over it during the time they'd known each other since his protégée seemed to like it as much as he did. "I'll pick a new one up the second I have a free moment."

"No, you won't. You'll say that, but the next time I see you and the time after that and after that, you'll have this damned case and I'll be forced to start calling you what they called him." Bringing his hand up to his chin, Neal began to scratch at the stubble there. "I want to convince her to stay." The subject had changed quickly to the secretary in the office.

"Why? Because you won't have someone interested in you bounding around the office day in and out?" He meant it as a tease but it clearly struck a cord by the look on Neal's face. "We can't make her stay. She's married now." Neal nodded, signalling his understanding.

The young girl had come to the office during her senior year in high school, set on doing something simple while she worked toward getting enough money for college. That was five years ago and she had graduated valedictorian. What no one had expected — was that she would fall for one of his clients and then get hitched.

Now all thoughts of attending Law School or college for that matter were pushed off the to the side and she was leaving to start a family with Peter. The twenty-something year old he had defended for involuntary manslaughter. The kid did it, killed someone with a few of his friends and yet he got off - why? Because Gold made sure of it by getting most of the evidence thrown out and by discrediting the witnesses. Now; the guy was taking away someone who meant something to Neal and that wasn't sitting well with Gold, but he couldn't say 'no, you can't do that'. It wasn't his place nor did he care to put his nose in their business.

When he pulled up to the building, he grabbed his case and exited the car with Neal following on his heels as he entered the building and pushed past the desk, giving a professional nod in the direction of Tink and then headed back into his office.

"When is your last day?" Neal asked, leaning against the front desk with a pout. The girl, had been smitten with the protégée long before she had the job. "I'm going to miss you, Tink." He had given her the nickname on her second day after catching her reading a book on fairies. Her real name was Isobel, but even if Gold called her it, Neal refused to do so.

"Tomorrow." Her smile was sweet, so sweet in fact that he couldn't imagine not getting to see it everyday. . "I have these resumes for you." He took them in hand and gave her a timid smile before tapping them against the desk and then turning in the direction of where Gold had disappeared to.

He found him at his desk, looking through today's newspaper that had been left for him before he walked in, his briefcase was on the floor next to him, and Neal fought the urge to open the window and toss it out. "Here's the resume's." Placing them on the pile of folders next to his elbow, he turned and headed back out into the main area intent on giving him time to go through the resume's in silence.

Gold eyed them with contempt after setting the newspaper aside, hands flipping through each of them before he began to sort them into piles. Ones that were worth reading in their entirety and ones that were better off used as something to start a fire with. Right then, Tink made her way through the door with a steaming cup of coffee, without any sweetener or creamer, in hand and a smile on her face. _Such wasted opportunities_ ; he thought. "Thank you. Can you bring me the updates in the press about the case we're working?"

"The high profile one?" Tink asked, hands clasped at her front after having set the coffee down in front of him. "With-"

"Wolfe. Against the Piggstons" The case had become quite the controversy. Wolfe was being brought in under the charges of murder, having killed two of Ginger Piggstons' children by burning down their house, one of the children survived — having hidden out back in the brick shed. The kid needed to be discredited as a witness and Gold needed to find out how.

The thing when he took on the case was that he hadn't asked if Wolfe was guilty or not since Wolfe hadn't admitted it to him, in fact he preferred it that way because it truly didn't matter. What mattered was him working hard to prove his clients' innocence or either reducing a sentence.

"Right, yes, will bring that in." Tink turned on her heels and headed out of the door towards the front desk where she began going through the files she had laid out for the day. Neal had draped himself over the top of the area that was lacking paper and began talking about something Gold couldn't quite hear.

Glancing down, Gold grabbed his red sharpie and wrote down times that the ones who had made the cut could come in for an interview. He knew his schedule for tomorrow, had memorized it by heart — so he wouldn't need anyone to make sure of it for him. Three people out of fifty so far and he was ready to throw the rest out when Tink finally splayed all of the latest news articles out on his desk that hadn't been in today's newspaper. Most having been printed from online articles seeing as the press took to the internet more often than print these days. "Thank you. And can you toss the rest of these?" He handed her the resumes that didn't work as well as the ones he hadn't gone through, then placed the selected three to the side while he began reading the coverage on the Wolfe case.

"Of course." She took the papers into her hands and brought them out to the shredder near her desk in the main room, slowly placing them in one by one as she glanced over her shoulder at Neal. "Do you think he'll win the case?"

"The Wolfe one?" Neal asked, closing his eyes as he rested his head ridiculously on the desk. "Of course. There's not a case he hasn't won. Not to mention this one is really hyped up. Kids always make the press want to crucify any and everyone, so to get Wolfe off would be a magic trick that Gold is very capable of doing."

"The workload here will double." She stated, knowing too well how busy it had gotten after the Mother Dearest case. "I hope you both can find a replacement before it gets busy. And when is the hearing?"

"Next week. Are you sure you can't stay on until after that?" Neal stood up, straightening his spine as he reached back to give it a rub or two for good measure. "We will miss you."

"I can't. My time here is finished, I want to move forward, you know?" She said before turning towards him, giving him another one of her sweetest smiles. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"We can still keep in touch, you know? It's not like we're a thousand miles apart. You're not leaving Seattle — are you?" He closed the space between them and slipped his arms around her, holding her close.

"No, I'm not. Thank the fairies." Pulling back she gave him a smile, regardless of how much she thought he was handsome and how many times she had managed to get his attention over the years of working here, she held him in high acclaim as one of her closest friends.

"Okay, get back to shredding. I'm going to go check on the old man about three little pigs." He left her in a fit of giggles as he made his way into Gold's office and plopped himself against the chair opposite his. "They are ripping him a new one. And you a new one too." He stated, fingers dancing over one of the articles closest to him.

Gold chuckled, shaking his head. "A few articles are calling the trial..'A Deal With The Devil'. It's like one news outlet says it and the others just try to find ways to up the ante." Some called him the devil and others called him the hand of justice. Everything was a matter of perspective in this field and no matter which way the dice rolled, he found himself thoroughly intrigued by the ink on paper.

"People gotta bring home the bread and butter." Neal leaned back, running a hand through his hair before letting out a groan. "I'm going to make some barbecue tomorrow, want to come by and discuss our defense? And bring some of that world class coleslaw of yours? The last time you made that, man, I almost died from overeating. I could devour an entire tub of that shit."

"Sounds good to me." Especially if it would get him out of his house and in the company of the one person he felt most at ease with. "And yes, I'll bring it. In fact — I'll bring the ingredients and recipe and let you make it. But-" He placed his palms on his desk before glancing in the direction of his protégée with a smug grin forming on his features. "-if you share it with anyone, I'll have to kill you."

"If anyone could bury a body somewhere that no one could find it - I'm convinced it would be you." Neal's response caused Gold to chuckle, they both knew the statement was more than true.


	3. Chapter 3

If her mother had a say, she would have zero hours in the day to think - let alone cycle.

As her heart thundered beneath her rib-cage, she closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself in an open field with a horse beneath her. Suddenly the bars on the bike were reigns and the sounds around her began to fade away as the scenario in her mind burst to life in her imagination.

It didn't last long enough. The pain shooting through her calves and feet began to pull her out of it and back into the world in which she was peddling like her life depended on it. Spin classes had become a way for her to set aside time for herself. If only her mother hadn't denied her it throughout her youth; she would have ridden horses bareback, hands in their mane and wind in her hair. But if a hobby had to do with animals, it was not caring for them and getting dirty in the process, it was instead dissecting and studying their markup with a clean outfit - gloved hands. The night that her mother had brought her outside to where the rabbit had been - came crashing down on her like a brick.

"I-I don't think I can keep going." Regina glanced at the watch on her hand before tilting her head in the direction of Ruby - who was shamelessly peddling as if she were racing Regina to the finish line. Every inch of her body seemed to be weeping from the strenuous act she had put it through in such a short burst, having another light breakfast wasn't helping nor was the lack of coffee. They had been at it for ten minutes and it wasn't like riding a bike, no it was far worse than that. Every muscle in her legs were throbbing and twitching, regardless of having undergone classes much like this back at home in secret since her mother preferred her to do hot yoga with her instead of cycling. Spinning gives you legs that are not fitting for a petite doctor. Cue her mother putting her down for the size of her thighs for ten minutes.

"What about that cane sugar?" Ruby teased, having remembered Regina mentioning something about having an extra cup of coffee with it last night ( in order to study for her law class ) before starting the spinning session. "Just eight more minutes."

Guilt formed on her features and a nervous heat began to lick at the back of her neck as if she had done something wrong at hearing the words leaving Ruby's lips. The point in choosing cane sugar was to work around her mother's incessant need to cut sugar out of her diet, seeing as it wasn't nearly as bad as granulated sugar, she calmed herself by remembering the different between both and trying to inwardly repeat to herself that she had worked it off. "You're on your own then." Regina hopped off of the bike, much to the dismay of those around her, if the gasps were of any clue as to their surprise of someone giving up before the bell dinged or the instructor began belting out some sort of chant that would egg them all on. "I have to take a breather." Just as she grabbed her towel and began heading towards the door, the phone in the case strapped to her bicep began belting out some tune that she knew well - it alerted her that her mother was calling.

Pushing through the door, she pulled her phone out of it's holster and pressed the button on the screen to answer, bringing it quickly to her ear as she glanced down at her watch. "Good morning, Mother."

"Forty eight minutes until your next class. Are you ready for it?" Cora's voice echoed back through the speaker and Regina could imagine her with her head tilted down next to a coffee machine checking her watch, timing her even if they weren't in the same room - let alone in the same ten mile radius.

"Yes, I am." She grimaced at her sweat soaked skin and spinning clothes, it would take her ten minutes to get them off and get in some time in the shower, eight minutes until the spin class was complete so that they could actually leave, fifteen minutes for hair and makeup and then she would have fifteen minutes left to get to the building in record time. "How is your shift going? Are you ready for the surgery you'll be performing on that tennis player tonight?" She never used names but her mother loved to.

"Irene Welshirm?" Her voice raised an octave as she spoke the name, as if making sure those around her heard it before she continued her conversation in the same emotion-free tone as she had to begin with. "Of course, I am ready." Regina could imagine her mother with her hand in the air, fingers curled, and swirling it in a motion that gave something to her appearance to those around her. "I've been ready since she signed up on the waiting list and I had to push her up higher ... due to her acclaim."

Ignoring her mother's boasting, she decided to approach the subject she had intended to discuss with her later, rather than sooner. "I've been meaning to ask you. You know the course you've signed me up for is meant for Juniors, right? How did I get a spot in the class?" Leaning her back against the wall, she began to watch the second hand tick by as she waited for her mother's response.

"Oh, Regina, dear. Why must you continue to question my power and the reach that I have within that school? If I wanted to, I could have you doing double the work and finishing your major in less time. But you have to put in exactly the same amount of effort that all of the other students put in." She was missing the that I put in, but Regina knew it regardless of it having to be said. A snapping sound resounded from her mother's end before she spoke up again "You're coming for dinner this weekend, yes?"

"Yes." It would do her no good to turn it down considering her mother would have her there regardless of if she wanted to go or not. At least she had no classes on the weekend and instead could put all of her effort into pleasing her mother with her etiquette and abilities to praise her, regardless of Cora spending most of the time picking on this or that in regards to her daughter.

"Good. Now...do me a favor and stop going to spin classes. Not only are they bad for your thighs, Regina, but the music they play is very grating on the nerves. With bad nerves, how can you hope to use a scalpel with precision?" With that the line went silent, her mother having ended the call before she could argue.

"Ready?" Ruby had come out sooner than Regina thought, catching her off guard. It hadn't been eight minutes. "Apparently the instructor likes to give everyone this chat about how going home and eating a tub of ice cream will not feel good in tomorrow's spin session and I'm all.." She waved her hands in the air theatrically as the edge of her lip quirked up "..I'm not coming tomorrow I have class" then her hands fell to her sides as she let out a huff of air "..then I signed up anyway because my class is right after it so I'll get a good run in too." Regina couldn't imagine going into class without a good shower or work on her appearance.

"Now who's the glutton for punishment?" Regina gave the brunette a once over and then glanced at her watch as Ruby continued telling her about what the class did for her body. She had enough time to get in the shower and be ready in time. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Oh yeah, you have a class today for bio, right?" Ruby looped her arm in Regina's and began to escort her out of the building. "Who's the professor this time?"

"King. Professor Leopold King. And yes, it's for my biology major." The gym was close to their dorms, so they continued to walk. "And you don't have one today?" The fact that Ruby was holding her close gave Regina pause but she tried to allow herself to relax at the foreign feeling of someone touching her since she had gotten to know her so well over the past few days.

"Not today, no." Ruby answered as she glanced around at the other students heading to or from class. "Isn't King like a junior year professor?" When she tilted her head in the direction of Regina, a smile spread across her lips at the look of surprise on the brunette. "Not everyone is completely clueless here, miss punctual."

"I'm just surprised is all." The second they entered the main area of their dorm building, Regina had to break free of Ruby in order to avoid tripping over Emma - who was currently on her hands and knees doing push-ups. All the while Graham was hovering over her counting and berating the blonde; seemingly trying to make her give up in a teasing manner.

"Where were you two?" Graham asked, halting his counting while Emma continued on with her push-ups. His eyes wandered over Ruby's frame, taking in the clothes sticking to her skin and her unkempt dark hair. "Mm. You must have went for a run?"

"Spin class." Regina stated, watching as Graham continued drinking in Ruby's appearance. Rolling her eyes, she headed for the stairs. She felt sorry for Ruby, knowing all too well how the senior was seen around campus just from the few days she had spent here before class started. Graham has a... not so static reputation in regards to relationships.

However, she was happy to see that he had gotten the hint that whatever he had in mind for Regina and him now wasn't going to happen after what he said to her in the library.

It took her no time to get through with her routine and head back down the stairs, the scent of pizza filling her nostrils can causing her mouth to water.

"What some?" Emma asked, feet on the table as she bit into a slice of what looked to be supreme. "Graham ordered it for the dorm."

"How thoughtful of him to clog your arteries." Her defenses popped up as she shot a glare in the direction of the box that contained food she wouldn't mind digging her teeth into once. But that would mean slipping and she didn't have time to slip today or any other day this week for that matter. "Thank you." She glanced towards Graham who was chatting to Ruby in the corner, pizza in their hands. "But, I am going to be late for class if I don't leave right now."

"Wait!" Emma yelled out as soon as Regina got to the door, hand poised and waiting to pull it open as the blonde ran over to the kitchen area and returned with her on-the-go container full of juice. "Fresh squeezed. I know yesterday I fucked up by drinking what you had prepared..so..."

Her brows furrowed as she stared in disbelief at the container in the blonde's hands. "Really?" She had probably expected a jab at her for being so crazed for the rest of the week, she had not expected an act of kindness like this. The blonde nodded and thrust it into the brunette's hands before turning and heading towards the couch in a sprint before leaping onto it - reaching to dig into another slice of pizza. "Thank you." Her voice was soft as she turned to head out of the door, glancing at her watch as she made her way towards the bus.

If nothing went wrong with the bus, she was sure she could get to class ahead of time. Once it pulled up at the stop, she got on and found a seat closest to the door. Flipping open the top of her to-go container, she brought it to her mouth and revealed in the juice that coated her tongue. With her eyes on the campus moving past as the driver continued on, she tried to imagine how the other students felt or what their lives were like.

Her thoughts were cut short as the breaks squeaked, the driver calling out the building that had been her destination. And so, she was the only one who stood to head in the direction of the building. Surprise flitted across her features as she gave one look over her shoulder to make sure no one would be following — when they weren't, she pushed through into the building and headed for the door that led into the lab. She was surprised to find that most students had taken a page from the punctual book and had arrived earlier than her.

The laboratory itself was stark white with black granite top tables, stools had been pulled up to them for the students to sit. Sixteen students in one room was a little too small for Regina's liking. The faces were not those of the ones she saw in her Law class, in fact, everyone in here was a stranger — including the professor. But the way he looked at her, with a slight lift at the corners of his lips, made it seem like he had the notion they were close.

Regina decided to shake off the feeling and take a seat at one of the tables before a student sauntered over to her and cleared his throat. "It's assigned seating and this is mine." Shuffling to her feet, she collected her book and papers then stood in the middle of the room watching as everyone who hadn't been seated before took theirs — being unprepared was not something she enjoyed. She hadn't been emailed seating information, nor could she see a clipboard that would tell her where she was meant to be.

"New girl!" A redhead called out in her direction. She was seated near the front wearing a green form fitting dress and a white lab coat. "You are assigned here.." Leaning forward the woman tapped the spare stool with her hand.

"Thank you. I never got an email." Regina sighed, taking her seat next to the junior. She felt out of place, being younger than everyone here but that did not make her determination waver — in fact it did the opposite, which she couldn't help but wonder if that was why her mother had put her in the class in the first place. "And there wasn't a clipboard with a seating chart."

"Were you not in the lectures?" The redhead asked as she began to look at a piece of paper that Regina had sat against the table's surface. "It was covered there. I know sitting front and center isn't the best thing but — he's very adamant about seating positions. In fact, I would rather sit in the middle of the room."

Regina gave a knowing nod before gesturing in the direction of the student who had told her the seat she had chosen before was theirs. "I would have rather sat there, which is exactly in the right area."

"Spot on. I would have been glad to join you. And I'm Zelena by the way." Reaching over she took the papers Regina had and glanced at them with a look of contempt on her face before her mauve tinted lips pulled into a beaming smile. "Oh my God. You're a freshman! I thought you looked fresh faced. You must be smart or something to have been able to get into this class."

"Or something." Regina groaned, taking the paper back from her lab partner and instead directing her attention to the front of the room where she noticed her professor's eyes hadn't left her and held her attention before turning to the rest of the class, his voice echoing awkwardly off the walls.

"If any of you remember what we discussed in the last two lectures, you'll know that we are in this lab to push our capabilities. Mine as your professor and yours as young pre-med students." The sea of pupils began looking around at one another before he spoke up again. "Yes, I have only chosen my pre-med students to join me in this class. I know you're working towards getting your undergraduate degree and I am here to push you towards greatness."

He had a very high opinion of himself and it didn't sit well on her stomach, it reminded her too much of how high her mother held her chin. Regardless, she focused on the class for failing was not an option in her house.

"I am assigning each table two body parts that I expect to have treated by the next class. It would be wise to become acquainted with the one to the left.." He paused, eyes on Regina and then dancing over to Zelena. "...or your right. They will be your partner further on in this semester. Miss Osmond and Miss Mills." He said as he placed their assignments in front of them and then continued on through the rest of the class.

"Mills!" Zelena called out, slapping a hand against Regina's arm. The redhead had a look of bewilderment plastered on her features as she gasped again, eyes wide. "You are Cora's daughter! No wonder you're in this class. Oh goodie, I love a challenge."

"He said partner not opponent." Regina stated, fighting to laugh at the reaction of someone who thought her mother was apparently reason to freak out over.

"That's exactly what a partner is in this class. Trust me. I know. I'm a junior." Beaming, she glanced down at the assignment then let out another gasp. "The brain, this is just perfect. Let me guess.."

"The heart." Regina sighed as she began to wonder why the world seemed to be working in a strange way this morning by practically throwing everything in her lap. "It will need a surgery, that's for sure.." She could remember a case similar to this that her mother had to perform early on. Regina couldn't have been older than twelve when her mother spoke of it.

"Next class you will perform your work on a human-like robot. I've had a few majors on campus as well as theirs from my previous year class build me something to use this year and if you mess up, you'll fail and your patient will die. So take this literal, as literal as you would if you were standing at an operating table with a life in your hands."

Wondering to herself, she wanted to ask why they were moving so quickly in the class and not just working with essays or the like or animals. Thankfully, someone seemed to have a question too. Regina turned her head in the direction of the student as the professor pointed towards them.

"Will there be blood?" He asked, a smirk playing on his lips and it caused Regina's heart to race — images of her previous patients, animals, surfacing to her head — causing it to swim.

"The prototype does have blood, yes. It's purely animal. In fact we'll be sure to dissect some frogs later down the line." The way he gestured towards another student and caused a few to giggle seemed as though there was an inside joke Regina wasn't getting.

"Oh! I'm Professor King. And I know your names, so let's spend the next twenty minutes working out this problem on your papers in your head for a bit before you go back to whatever you worry about between classes."

She pinned him as the type who took his job seriously when it mattered but otherwise tried to keep the students at ease. Very different, she noted, from Professor Gold who seemed fine with letting them all walk on hot coals.

Glancing down at her paper, she grabbed her pen and began to work the issue out on the page, glancing every now and again in the distance trying to remember what she could that her Mother had talked about when she were younger. Even if the words were mostly notes on what she needed to research, she made sure to keep them neat and readable and clean so that it didn't look like a mess.

Glancing over at Zelena's paper, she noticed that the redhead was seemingly doing the same as her with her paper. "The brain will be pretty difficult." She stated, absentmindedly trying to make conversation since she was getting less and less notes out of her head.

"Oh no, it won't. My dream has been to work on a brain, seeing as it's a little difficult. I love challenging myself. If I had gotten the lungs or something, I would have been bored stiff."

"Really?" Regina could understand that. In fact, the heart was the easiest thing for her and in some ways — she wished she had gotten something she didn't know so well. The procedure itself would end up being a cake walk in the end. "I'm glad you got the brain then.."

"Me too. I'm glad you have the heart." Zelena turned to see someone who was calling out to her, then they stood and walked towards her, whispering in her ear, she said something Regina didn't quite get — but seemed to be laughing at whatever it was the person had said to make her laugh.

Regina turned her attention back to her paper and realized, there was an error in her notes. Nothing too big, just a couple of grammatical things. She would scan it into her computer, edit out her notes and then re-print it. No big deal, she decided.

The time passed quickly and before she knew it, everyone was standing and heading towards the door. Regina gathered her things and began to follow when Professor King called out to her, holding up a hand and beckoning her to come closer to his desk in the room. Glancing around, she caught Zelena's eye who was looking curiously at her but still waved before leaving the room with everyone else.

After the last student walked out of the door, Professor King stood to his feet and came around his desk to where she was standing. "I want to let you know that if you ever feel like someone is mistreating you in this class, let me know. I'll do something about it."

Regina nodded, not knowing what he was getting at considering college is never a picnic in the first place and neither is the real world. She didn't want to be wrapped in a protective bubble from everything around her.

"I know your mother, Regina. She was so happy to hear of me accepting you into my class regardless of you not attending last week's lectures." He spoke as if she hadn't been on campus that entire week or like she hadn't known she was attending this class since she got here. "I hope you'll be happy in this class too."

What happened next sent Regina's stomach turning and her heart into her throat. He reached forward, took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. At first, he moved his mouth against the back of her hand, brushing the skin with his before placing an open mouthed kiss to it, and Regina wanted to pull her hand out of his — but if what he said were true — the last thing she needed to do was offend him by acting as if this act wasn't causing her to grow extremely uncomfortable. "Me too." Was all she could manage as she tried to keep a look of calm on hr features.

"Cora.." He was on first name basis with her mother, that acknowledgement alone made heat radiate at the back of her neck. "...told me that you're coming to dinner this weekend. I hoped we could go over what I said in the two lectures that you missed? So that.." He paused before stepping just an inch closer. "...you can feel caught up and not so out of place."

"Of course." She forced a smile as she tried not to give the moment too much thought or the idea of how her mother had seemed to have this planned with the phone call from earlier in the day checking to make sure she would be attending. "That would be very kind of you."

"It's not a problem for me. I've had those lectures memorized for longer than I can remember. It would be nice to see your reaction to them, however. I hope you will enjoy them." A beat passed before it seemed like he remembered something; removing himself from her hand and then turning back to his desk. "I'll see you at the next class."

In that instant, an unknown face to Regina entered the room with a beaming smile on her lips.

Awkwardly, she gave the stranger a smile and then headed for the door, careful to not appear disgruntled or in a panic. Why had he kissed her hand? The question kept repeating in her head as well as the thought of the dinner this weekend. Her Mother was up to something, clearly, and no doubt she would find out more this weekend.

Her heart was thundering as she searched her hands and bag for the on-the-go container she had her juice in. Glancing behind her, she looked at the door for the laboratory and realized she had left it behind in there. Shaking her head — heading back into the classroom, she moved quickly through the door and grabbed the container on her table, shooting a smile in the direction of the stranger and then bounding for the hallway.

The bus ride towards her dorm was used to try and gain an insight to what had happened in the classroom and exactly why she felt the way she did. She couldn't help but imagine her mother's voice telling her that she was overreacting and perhaps that was how he treated all of his other students.

The breaks squeaked as the bus jolted to a stop, causing Regina to go forward just slightly in her seat. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she pushed herself onto her feet and stepped off of the bus into the chill air as she headed for the dorm. Each time her feet fell against the pathway, her throat felt tighter. She could recognize the signs, knew them well after this many years.

Once inside, the smell of something greasy and disgusting turned her stomach, the thought of eating sending off warning signs in her head to accompany the panic attack currently wracking her frame.

"Want some?" Emma's voice was muddled as if Regina were under water, the brunette simply shook her head and slipped past the blonde and Graham who were seemingly in the throws of waging war against one another in a video game.

Pushing through the door of her bedroom that she shared with Emma, she let out a sigh and tried to fight the stinging at the corner of her eyes. But she fought it with every ounce of strength she had in her.

Crying is weakness.

The quote of her mother, her voice in her head, sent the pressure building in her chest to painful levels as she tried to breathe, tried to think of anything to calm this rushing river of emotion swirling inside of her.

Her head was throbbing and it felt like her walls were closing in around her, everything was not her own, her life - her actions - her thoughts. Tossing her books onto the bed along with her on-the-go container, she turned and deposited her bag on the nightstand before pacing the floor, ringing her hands nervously.

Closing her eyes she tried to imagine a time when she felt better, felt good about her life but was slowly coming up empty handed. That was the moment the tears began to prickle and burn, finally pooling to the surface, as she tried fretfully to bat her lashes so they would stop. Turning on her heels, she walked over to her desk and leaned forward — palms splayed out against the cool surface.

Her eyes instinctively fell on her notebook for her law class. Her ideas scribbled in red ink and noting specifics while the date and class shown in sharp black ink at the top. Gripping the tablet and her law book, she walked towards her bed and then settled herself in the floor. Trying to keep the thundering organ in her chest as calm as possible as she began to go over her notes from law class and the research she had done late last night.

As she began to correct her notes as well as add new ones to her law assignment notebook, it felt as if the claws around her throat and heart were loosening with each second she continued losing herself in her plight to prove Tremaine was guilty.

Oh; she thought before realizing that this was the calming mechanism she needed all along. And so, she pushed forward until her scribbles turned neat as the trembling in her hands slowed to a stop and her muscles relaxed.

"Wait a minute..." She spoke to herself as she reached behind her to her bed, pulling her laptop from atop her mattress and bringing it in front of her to type in the case itself and go over the evidence and witness logs. Then typing in the names, she narrowed it down to the few houses on the block — writing them down in a tablet so that she could search the internet for their social media profiles.

Discredit a witness. The key use of throwing out a case and winning it. Which could also be turned around on the defense by discrediting the people who had been on the stand on Miss Tremaine's side.

With each evidence of the residents being at home that night, like they had said, she began marking them off one by one until the last was proving more difficult to find as she did not have a facebook or instagram like the others. So she located a number that belonged to the house the witness was living in around the time of the trial. Picking up her phone, she called the house in question.

The number was disconnected.

This was too easy; Regina thought as she searched for the house on local rent listings and once she found that — the real estate agent was next on her contact list.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked, poking her head through the bedroom door with a look of concern on her features.

"I am." Regina looked up from her position on the floor to the brunette and gave her a smile, knowing that now — yes — she did feel fine. Better than before in fact. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I just noticed how quick you headed for your room and thought something was wrong. Are you coming down to eat?" Ruby asked, stepping into the room and peering over at Regina's notes, giving them a wide eyed glance before bringing her attention back to Regina.

"I think I'm going to just get this finished first. We have class tomorrow, so it's best that I finish it before it gets too late. I need at least—"

"Eight hours of sleep. I know, I know." Ruby sighed, turning on her heels as she brought her thumbs into the loops of her jean skirt, before glancing back in the direction of Regina who had already begun digging her nose into her work. So, Ruby decided to not push it any further and instead get back downstairs to cheer one of the gamers on until they won.


	4. Chapter 4

Wednesday morning starts like all weekdays do with Gold. A blaring alarm from his clock sounding through the dark recesses of his bedroom. Opening his eyes, he rubs his face before pushing himself up onto his feet, hand hitting the button on the clock and then turning to make his bed up. Tucking the sheets where they should be and adding the decorative pillows back to the surface before striding into the adjacent bathroom and stripping himself of his silk pajamas. The glass door shower is his favorite part of the bathroom, having had it re-done a year after they had moved into the house, the bathroom was his room to choose the re-design of; though Milah had added the bathtub near the window with jets that helped with sore muscles among other things.

Turning the water on full blast, making it as hot as it can get before he stepped in beneath the spray and closed his eyes at the heat hitting his skin and washing away the sluggish feeling in his frame. Shifting so that his back faced the jets spraying down, he tilted his head and allowed it to work out the kinks in his shoulders. He began to think of the assignment he would give his students today, how it would give them a strange flip of the scales and to see them work out their defense against the evidence they were posing to incriminate the woman would be entertaining indeed. But before he could think long on it, the recent case he was working began to fill his mind, which only proved to make his thoughts hit a frenzy of how exactly he intended on marking up the layout of his moments in the courtroom. Shaking his head as if to dislodge the thoughts from his brain, he ran a hand through his soaked hair, giving his head a slight massage before trying to memorize a list of what he needed to pick up today at the store after work. As he lathered up the body wash in his hands and began to coat his skin in the foamy substance, he remembered he needed more scotch and that had bumped quickly up his list to the top as he worked through the routine of washing his body.

Once his muscles are relaxed and his skin is clean, he shuts off the water and walks naked over to the sink, leaning so that he could wipe away the moisture that had collected on the reflective surface. Raising a hand to the shadow of facial hair that had formed there in the time of his last shave and sleep, he gives it a scratch and then sets on ridding himself of it. Once its gone; his skin is as smooth as it can be and smells like his aftershave. He reaches for a cotton black towel and dries himself lightly with it, then tosses it into the wicker hamper before going into his bedroom and taking the black silk robe with the big pockets that he liked off of the back of his chair, he had laid it out the night before in preparation for this morning.

After pulling on the robe, he heads towards the modern looking kitchen with all black appliances and white cabinets, opening the refrigerator he sets out what he needs to make an omelet and begins on the task. Cooking, he realized sometime in his mid thirties, had become a calming mechanism for him and then soon a hobby that he couldn't get enough of, and so — he makes sure to prepare himself breakfast and dinner at least every day if possible just to keep his head leveled.

Upstairs, the sound of his cell ringing dares to break his process, but he pushes it away and refuses to answer it until he has completed cooking and eating his breakfast. No one should call this early, especially if they knew how much he held breakfast in high regard.

When he has finished his breakfast, no newspaper or anything having distracted him, he bounds up the stairs — checks the clock on his wall which is running a little fast — then reaches for his cell; finally giving in to the incessant ringing. It was Neal. Dialing his number, he waited to hear the man's voice on the other line. When he answered, however, Gold regretted not calling sooner rather than later.

"Have you seen the news?" He asked, voice clearly started and the sound of a humming in the background told Gold that he was in his car and driving clearly too fast. "Turn on the fucking news, you are not going to believe this."

"What is it?" He asks, reaching for the remote on his nightstand and then aiming it in the direction of the large television mounted to his wall. He flipped through to find the news station he liked and then his mouth fell open. In high definition, the sight of a flaming house behind a startled reporter, caught his attention and he hissed out his next response. "What the-"

"The fucking witness is dead, Gold. He's dead. That kid? Yeah, the press are turning towards thinking it's Wolfe's fault but I can't address them. Only you can."

"I have a class this morning." He groans before realizing what Neal had hinted at. "This is actually perfect for us. Wolfe is in custody until proven innocent.."

"Exactly!" Neal practically screamed in his ear, the sound of a car stuttering outside before Neal barked out "Open the fucking gate."

"Would you relax." He said before pushing the button on the wall of his bedroom to allow the gate to open for the younger man. "I know you're excited, but they can still pin this on him and his actions. He could still tell someone else to do that to the house. So we have to approach this calmly and I'll head over there to him before I go to class."

"Good. I've bookmarked every digital article for you to look through so you're prepared for their questions." The front door banged open then and the line clicked as Neal ended the call before barging into Gold's bedroom. "This is like a gift."

"Not exactly. The parents got out okay?" Gold asked as he tightened the silk belt on his robe before taking the iPad from Neal and flipping through the digital articles, reading at a lightening pace as he made his way to the edge of the bed and sat down.

"Of course! Not a scratch or burn or anything." Neal turned towards the television, hands at his back as he took a moment to stretch, taking in the scene on the screen. "This is high quality stuff. Not the murder. I mean the television, it's gorgeous—look at that." He stepped closer and eyed the brand before turning on the corners of his converse and glancing back at Gold who was hovering over the iPad, still as a statue.

"I don't get it." Gold stated after a couple of minutes, looking up in the direction of Neal. "So, imagine, you have kids. Wolfe kills them in a fire. Then...he's in custody and all of a sudden one day...your house is set on fire. What is the first thing you're going to do?"

"Save my only surviving kid." Neal answered, standing his ground as he locked his eyes on his friends'. "There's something dirty goin' on." That was a term he had coined long before he began working alongside Gold, something he chose to use when someone was setting their client up.

Gold just nodded, then pushed himself to his feet, tossing the iPad on the bed before going over to his wardrobe and taking out his outfit for the day. Heading into the en-suite bathroom, he shuts the door and gets dressed. His suit is a custom make, black suit with a dark gray dress shirt and a maroon tie - the entire ensemble having cost more than his car. Once out, he heads for the bed, seating himself on the edge while putting on his dress shoes. "I'm heading over to see Wolfe. Then I'll be in class for a bit. So, meet me at the front of my building before it. Bring the witness logs so that I can look over them before class starts. After I finish teaching for the day, we need to go through our evidence again."

"Yessir." Neal quipped, nodding in his direction before turning on his heels and heading downstairs, intent on getting in his car and heading out to fetch those logs for him.

**_~GQ~_ **

"Could you get the visitor logs for me?" Gold asked as he looked up at the officer who had let him into the room. "Or send someone else to get them?" The custom was that one officer would stand guard inside of the room, making sure they didn't break protocol or that anyone slipped the prisoner something he could use to hurt himself or others.

Once that officer opened the door, called out to another and then made his way back in, that was when Gold turned his attention back to Wolfe. The man was a brute, tall and broad with a face too large for his shoulders, a jaw and forehead that stuck out prominently, giving him the image of a brooding bulldog. "Mr. Gold, I swear I didn't do what they are saying that I did."

His voice was soft compared to his rough features, hands clasped against the table in front of him. In his own way, he looked innocent — if only the jury would look past the clear as day build of a murderer. "Saying that doesn't make it true. Nor do I care to hear it." Gold's words were harsh and sharp, but he was right and he knew it. "The press are tearing you to shreds already, claiming you have reach beyond prison walls and that paints one ugly picture in the eyes of the public." He didn't have to mention the jury, they were both already thinking it.

Large hands opened, palms pressing to Wolfe's forehead as he leaned into them, shaking his head, chains rattling in the process. "What are we going to do?"

"You'll leave that to me." Gold wanted to feel sympathy, but he never could force that out of himself for any client that he had been paid to represent. All he cared about was winning or doing his job to the best of his ability. "Now, I need you to just do what you've been doing. Avoiding press, visitors you don't know, so on and so forth. If I need a statement from you for the press, I will come here in person and ask. Am I making myself clear?" Wolfe nodded, face still concealed by his hands followed by a muffled yes. "Good. I'm going to get this settled down and until we can get you out, keep your head down. No fighting. No threats." Another nod and a muffled yes came from the man opposite him.

He stood, the chair legs making a loud noise against the floor at the abrupt movement from it's recent occupant before he moved around to walk towards the door.

"Thank you, Gold." Came the voice of his client followed by a rattling of chains as the man stood to his feet. The lawyer didn't look back before he gave the signal to the guard outside of the door and walked out, leaving his client with the guard inside.

"Did you get the-" His sentence was cut off the second the officer outside handed him the visitor logs for Wolfe. Taking them, he gave a nod then headed down the hallway, eyes on the papers in his hand.

The problem with high profile cases like these isn't the twists and turns, those Gold could prepare for and hit head on. It was instead the immense amount of work and preparation that went into not fucking up, not even once because in his field of work — every single hair needed to be in it's place. If something stuck out, everyone would be quick to point a finger in the direction and that would in turn put a damper on his clientele and irreversibly damage the image he had in the eye of the court and fellow colleagues.

"We'll see you again, yeah?" One of the officers called out as he watched Gold place his briefcase on the floor, pen in hand as he signed his name out of the visitor log. "Not like we're lacking in prisoners these days or crimes for that matter."

They liked the talk, every person he had ever met who sported a badge could go on for hours and hours, jaw aching from moving their lips so much and they wouldn't stop unless they were absolutely forced to. It didn't mean he had to acknowledge their presence or even pay attention to a word coming out of their mouths. No; he could just let out an incoherent noise, something akin to a grunt or mhm and they would be just fine with that. Which is what he did now as he placed the pen back down, turned and made his way out of the building with his sights set on getting to his class.

**_~GQ~_ **

"I bet you can't" Neal teased, his tone playful as he dodged Emma's hand which had been headed for his left shoulder. Gold couldn't make out what was on the blonde's expression as he moved closer to the building, listening intently on the conversation that was occurring between his protégée and his student.

"Oh really?" A giggle echoed out into the open space as she moved back a few paces, a hand going up to point in his direction, which resulted in a slow nod from Neal. "How about I show you?"

"We'll see, Swan." That's when Neal caught Gold making his way over to them and his expression changed, settling more on his features, shoulder's rising just an inch.

"I guess we will, paper boy." Emma hadn't caught what Neal did, which left her looking slightly more animated in her stance. That was until the blonde looked over her shoulder, the teasing expression on her features slowly fading into shock.

"Miss Swan, a little late aren't you?"

The blonde turned an embarrassing shade of pink before giving a nod at the look on his features, wondering if he had caught any tidbits from their conversation. "And...I'll be heading in...now." She reached out and tapped Neal on the arm before moving past the two of them and walking into the building.

As soon as the door closed, Gold raised his brows at Neal. giving him a questioning look.

"Whaaat?" Neal sighed out, nervously running a hand through his dark locks. "We were just talking."

Gold scoffed then, rolling his eyes at the play of innocence coming from someone he knew better than the back of his own hand. "Oh dear Isobel. May her memory rest in peace." At the nod from his protégée, he let out a chuckle that was very unlike him as Neal slapped a hand against his shoulder. "Moving on so soon?" He continued to tease, catching the look of a puppy being scolded forming on Neal's face. "The witness logs?" Neal reached down into his satchel and handed them to Gold.

Not paying any attention to his protégée as Neal pushed himself off of the building and headed for his own vehicle, mumbling something about him minding his own business and how he needed to head to the local car wash. Gold glanced at the witness logs as he makes his way inside of the building, having walked the path many times over, he doesn't need to look up even as he makes it to the door and pulls it open. When he walks into the room, it goes silent - all students having arrived a bit before him - but he doesn't need to explain himself, so instead he places the logs on the table in the middle of the lecture area and looks up at them.

Not one student is out of place from where they had been last session and each are still seemingly as eager as they were the first day. This is a good thing, he notes, before taking in a deep breath of air and then; "I hope you finished your assignments because some of you will be voicing your work aloud." He walks around to the front of the desk and leans against it, caramel hues sweeping over the faces of the students. "Mr. Nolan."

The student stands, a couple of pages falling from what looks to be a binder, causing him to stumble around his words as he speaks "I-Well, you see-" A few students burst out into a low cackle, clogging up the talking space as David's features form into a beaming grin, clearly happy with himself for causing some of the tension to lift in the room. "I thought that maybe Ella had been suffering for quite some time and maybe she was just needing the right moment to make her pain known. So; I think Tremaine should be brought on the stand and questioned by a known psychiatrist — ask more about the mental stability of her step daughter. And then dig into the medical files from her parents; namely the mother who was out of the picture."

"Her Mother died when she was young." Gold stated, hands clasped together at his front as his eyes went away from the student and looked ahead, not really focusing on anything in particular. "That is a good thing to start with, finding out if it is in the family. In fact; can someone tell me what this would cause if we find young Ella has no history of mental instability in her family line... Miss White."

The pale student jumps out of her seat and nods vigorously, seemingly happy to answer the question. "Then they could open a case about what effects Miss Tremaine or her daughters had on the girl while living with them after the untimely death of her father."

"Very good, Miss White and Mr. Nolan. These are two very intriguing reasons to continue the case and could indeed prove difficult for Miss. Tremaine." Walking over towards the board, he began to write both of those down on it, putting their initials right next to each argument, then without looking back, he called on the next student. "Miss Swan."

"I-uh—" Emma pushed herself out of her seat and glanced around at the sea of people, before shrugging, pushing down the desire to rush through it. "Tampered evidence. I mean, that body was inspected by someone who clearly didn't know what they were doing at first, hence the need for a second opinion." She wanted to use what if in her next sentence, but that showed doubt, so she opted for not including it. "The original coroner fucked with the body." Poor choice of words considering some students were snickering now. "They could have done anything to it that could tamper with the investigation or any results after the fact."

"That is one steep claim, Miss Swan." Gold stated, writing it down on the board with her initials beside of it. "By this you're calling attention to everyone who examined the body as well as the—"

"The officers who were in the room during the examination. I know. I've seen too many corrupt cops to realize that not all are impervious to bribery." Emma states, her hands going slack at her sides, papers all but forgotten now in her hands. She doesn't need them now, she's said the gist of her plea. "With this, I'll lose the trust of the police force in the state, they will see me as a threat to their job and their livelihood, but if I'm a good lawyer and this is what I know to be true, I should be willing to risk my neck on the claim and stand behind it."

Gold turns then, mouth twitching at the edge as he takes in her argument with the faintest hint of contempt in his features. "Miss Swan, you are aware that in a career like this what you do or don't do for that matter sticks to you as if you're walking with every single case you've done plastered to your body. " He never claimed to be a lawyer who stood up for good or evil; he only set out to do his work and he knew a thing or two about cases following you home. "With that, you may sit down. Well done."

Emma took her seat then and began to doodle on her notes, little police figures with x's where the eyes were supposed to be and lewd depictions of nightsticks; Regina noted, having leaned over to see what it was she would be writing down. She had expected something along the lines of what Gold had said to her but nope, that was clearly not the Emma Swan way of things.

"Miss French." He turned back to the blackboard and waited for the student to start her plea.

"Urm." Belle cleared her throat and stood to her feet, her books tucked tight against her rib cage as she spoke softly, yet loud enough so that the professor could hear her. "The sisters...they were unaccounted for during the time of the suicide jump. One witness claimed to be in the room with Miss Tremaine but had not said anything about the sisters. I would prefer to direct the jury's attention towards the step-sisters and focus on how they could have aided their mother in getting rid of Ella. Say to have them sneak up the stairs and into Ella's room, they could have gotten the key from their mother?"

Gold turned around and looked at her, one brow raising at her words. "Are you asking the jury, Miss French?"

"No. I mean. They would have gotten the key from their mother, went up the stairs and threw her from the room's window."

Gold nodded, pondering for a moment before placing the chalk back where it had been near the blackboard, then pacing around to the front of the desk, he looked back out at the students. "The sisters were at the dance, they have social media pictures with their classmates that prove that. The witnesses didn't have to come up and state for the jury that they were innocent because it would have taken up time we did not have in the courtroom. It is a fine assessment but not enough to get the case to continue in court and turn against Miss Tremaine or her daughters. Nevertheless, you can still work on the next assignment regardless of not passing this one." Pushing away from the desk, he then headed back towards the blackboard. Once his chalk was in his grasp and hand hovering over the thing, he put a strike through what he had written of Belle's, then called for the next student. "Miss Mills."

Regina almost leapt out of her seat, nearly tripping on the bag that Emma had set in the floor. "Miss Eloise Shew, the witness that had claimed to be in the same room as Miss Tremaine during the act."

Gold's throat tightened as he halted the movements of his chalk. Mind racing at what the student could have found seeing as she used the word 'had claimed'. They had been so careful, hadn't they? "Mhm. What about her?" When the student spoke up, continuing their plea, he went back to writing as if nothing had occurred to him.

"She was the only one no longer living at her recorded address at the time of the trial." Regina swallowed, eyes set on the back of her professor as he wrote down her plea in shorthand. "Come to find out that she had moved not even a week after the court ruled Tremaine innocent on all counts. The house she moved into cost half a million, which is more than what she was making at the time, having been a librarian. Secondly, a.." Regina tugged the file out of her binder then began to slowly make her way down the tier and towards the desk before placing the paper and her assignment down on it, then turned to head back towards her seat - speaking slow and precise as she went. "...generous unnamed benefactor paid for a hip replacement she needed shortly after the innocent ruling. Apparently.." She turned to face the professor once back at her seat. "...it went out one week at work, that same week she claimed to be sitting with Miss Tremaine. I walked the distance from Miss Shew's house to Miss Tremaine's and if my hip were out, I wouldn't be able to make it on foot." That much had been true. She had checked it out before coming in to class this morning. Having woken up early enough to fit it into her schedule. "There's also an instagram photo in the binder of her granddaughter visiting her on the day of Ella's unfortunate fall, the date is clear in the printed photo from the account. Description says; quote 'Visiting Granny today, she's stuck in bed...sad face emoji...Guess who's playing nurse? Her favorite granddaughter.' unquote. Elizabeth Shew is the daughter of her son Timothy Shew, who also miraculously ended up with enough funds to go to med school."

Gold finished off writing the plea, marked her initials beside of it then turned towards the class. "Well done, Miss Mills." He made his way over to the desk and placed the paper she had laid on top of the report back in the binder labeled with her name and the assignment already on it. "Now here comes the part where you're all going to have even more fun." He moved it to the side, that nagging feeling of knowing how a case could be easily re-opened causing an itch that needed scratching to set off in his brain. "Now you're tasked as Miss Tremaine's defense for what you just posed. Make her innocent again in the jury's eyes. I'll expect this on my desk next week. Everyone turn in your papers as you leave. Class dismissed."

"Professor Gold, if I could ask you something?" Belle called out, hand in the air. When Gold nodded, she stood to her feet and began to descend the tier as the students started filing out of the classroom. She stood directly in front of the desk where he was situated behind so that when he looked up, she was right in eye sight. Only, he didn't look up - at least not yet.

"Miss Mills." His hand went out to his side as he snapped his fingers, when he heard a distant yes he motioned for her to come over to the desk. Once the last paper was in front of him, he lifted his eyes to set on Belle. "What did you need to ask Miss French?"

When Regina caught Belle glancing over at her with something akin to irritation in her eyes, Regina couldn't help but wonder what had been her game plan when asking to stay behind. But the other woman seemed to bring her attention back to their professor soon after realizing she wasn't leaving.

Belle let out a giggle that could make skin crawl and then placed her books onto the surface of the desk, before leaning over just enough to seem like a normal thing to do. "I just wanted to say that I will make the next assignment much better than this one. I just felt distracted. You know? Something simple and yet I couldn't focus.."

"I hope your focus gets back on track, Miss French." Gold replied, not really knowing what the student expected his response to be but that was the least he could give. "Anything else?"

"Nope." Her lips pushed out in a pout as she continued. "I simply wanted you to know that I am very...dedicated." Belle's lips formed slowly into a sweet smile, gazing at him with heavy lids even though Gold wasn't looking up at her.

The tone her voice had taken caused Regina's eyes to almost roll in their sockets. She couldn't fathom the audacity of this girl: she barely tried to complete her assignment properly and instead of focusing on her work she was trying to..to do what exactly? Flirt with her professor? Regina couldn't help but find her attempts mediocre at best and after the display regarding her assignment earlier - she would even go as far to think she was just as unremarkable herself.

When Belle finally unglued her eyes from her professor, she gathered her books up in her arms and turned to face Regina; icey blue eyes meeting chocolate hues, registering the look of contempt on her features. Tilting her chin a smidgen higher, she walked past the Regina, shoulder bumping hers with a little more force than was necessary as the click-clacking sound of her heels began to recede the closer she came to the exit.

Once Gold had put all of their assignments into his briefcase, he began heading for the door. "Walk with me, Miss Mills." Being already a few paces ahead of her, he could hear the faint sound of her hurried foot falls as she made her way up to him out in the hallway. "At the beginning of every semester, I choose a couple of students to intern with me at my firm." His voice was still in professor mode, strict and firm as he began to recite the same speech he used for the interns that had come before her. "With the results you showed me today, you might be a likely candidate for one of those spots in the near future." He didn't wait for her to speak up or say anything about what he was confirming for her. "I have an additional assignment for you. In return you will receive extra credit."

She aptly avoided students who were either making their way opposite of the direction they were going in or were in a hurry, skating past them. "An additional assignment?" In all honesty, she wanted to gush on how being an intern at his firm would mean more to her than he could ever fathom, but bringing that up before he actually chose her would not benefit either of them.

He held the door open for her when they had reached the end of the hall, allowing her to step through it before he did. Without missing a beat, they continued on the path he took daily towards his car. "I'm working on a case that has taken a turn recently not for good or bad, if I'm putting all of the cards out on the table. However, I will be fishing through the visitor logs." Gold reached into his briefcase the moment they reached his car, then he turned to face her with the paper between them. In that second he saw what he wasn't expecting; determination and excitement in chocolate hues. It reminded him of how he felt during his first big case many years ago, admiration swelled deep inside of him as she took the paper in hand and began to look it over. "I need you to go through the witness log. Find the weak spots for both parties. My client, Mr. Wolfe and the defense. I will email you a couple of my case files, I believe they turn out to be of much help to you."

Regina read through the first two logs before lifting her gaze to meet his. Something inside felt like it shifted at the sight in front of her. It was strange seeing Professor Gold outside in this lighting; the sun kissing his russet brown locks and dancing across his crimson tie causing it to shine just slightly. "Okay. Yes. And I'll send my findings to your...email?" She had it already, considering he had emailed the students before coming into their first lesson.

He nodded then, glancing down at the paper in her hand before turning towards his car and calling back over his shoulder once he wrenched the door open. "Remember, extra credit only counts if you do a good job. If you don't, time wasted." The line was something he would have preferred to hear when he had been her age and if the determination he had seen in her earlier was any indication, he was more than certain that the words would add fuel to her inner fire. And as he drove away from the parking lot, eyes focused on his destination, he couldn't see the glint that sparked in the young student's eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Professor King’s lecture had been about as useful as a chainsaw in surgery. She could understand the gist of everything he wanted them to learn having already heard a form of it or another from her mother, so she didn’t really have to pay attention. More often than not, she pulled back her notes to glance at the witness logs Gold had given her.

Zelena having caught it a few times, gave her a look of contempt with a scolding gaze, before bringing her eyes back to the front of the lecture hall and watching as their professor held his chin high and spoke with confidence. Regina didn't like the way his eye line tended to skate over her, which only furthered her need to look away and back down at the witness logs.

When the lecture was over, she dipped between students and slid out of the room before she could be called to stay back for any reason or another. Her eyes were on her watch as she exited the building in a hurry and headed in the direction of the bus stop.

"Get in, princess." Graham called out as his red convertible pulled up onto the curb, causing Regina to jump back. When she shot him a disconcerting grimace, he tugged the black sunglasses down on the bridge of his nose, sky blue flecked with the depths of the ocean hues tearing into her. "I want to ask a favor of you...regarding Ruby."

At the mention of her friend's name, she decided to simmer down her annoyance and listen to his request so she opened the door and settled in on the passenger’s seat. "I need to go to where she's working, actually. It's “The Grind."

"Done. I'm well acquainted with where she works" he lets out with a brief sigh Regina never heard in his voice before. Keeping his eyes on the road he pulled away from the curb and out into the campus traffic, which is a little too cramped for comfort. "I need you to put in a good word for me with her."

Scoffing, she turned to look in his direction - noting the smirk on his lips as if he were waiting for her to jump at the chance to help him. "I think she would actually respect you more if you worked towards being good in her eyes rather than sending me as a representative." Regina decided to say what she actually believed would be best for the situation even if that meant risking it being taken the other way around.

"You think?" he asked, hands shifting on the steering wheel as he turned a curb, rolling up close to their destination. "I'm afraid I'll end up fucking it up, you know? I mean--I just want it to work well with her." He had an air of melancholy about him, an uncharacteristic one Regina noted.

"If you clean up your act, it just might." she said as she climbed out of the car and shut the door in her wake. "Thank you for driving me." She hesitated for a bit. “You can come with me and prove your point you know”.

Graham looked at her wide eyed and his hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles going white from tension. “I..I have to run but I will think about what you said Regina, thanks... Really”. As he drove off, Regina half smiled thinking that even the “mightier” fall when they meet their match after all and she appreciated the irony of the matter.

Once inside, the aroma of roasted coffee beans hit her and sent her head reeling. She could taste it on the tip of her tongue, mouth watering, she had craved it all day and Professor King’s class did nothing to take her mind off it. Looking for Ruby at the barista’s section, her eyes caught the coffee dripping from the makers and at that moment her mind decided to drift unexpectedly. She wondered what type of coffee Professor Gold would drink. He had to be a voracious coffee drinker, she thought, smiling unconsciously while she tried to pin point the exact type of coffee that would suit him.

"Regina?" Ruby's voice pulled her from her thoughts as she turned to see her and her blonde roommate near a table in the back. Ruby was standing with a tray in her hands while Emma had twisted so that she could catch sight of the brunette.

Slowly, she began to make her way towards them, pushing out the scent of coffee and the image of her professor so that she could focus on the reason she had come here in the first place – to grab her coffee and relax for ten minutes before walking back with Ruby to their dorms. "Can I get my usual?" She asked Ruby when she settled in at the booth with Emma, placing her books and things on the table in front of her. The striking girl nodded with her usual sunny smile and headed back towards where the machines were. "Graham has his eyes set on her."

"Well, good for him. I hope she makes him sweat." Emma chuckled, fingers playing with a cinnamon stick inside of what Regina could smell was hot cocoa. "He is crazy, I swear. He's challenged me to lift her later today when I get back to the dorm."

"Lift Ruby?" Regina's eyes widened as she glanced over at the barista, considering the probability of Emma being able to lift her up. Finally she settled on it being easier than her mind had originally wanted to believe. "You could do it."

"Well yeah, but what will he have me lift next? Him? I’m not here to do his love life any favors. If he wants to win her over he has to take the direct approach. It’s the only approach." Scoffing, the blonde slid back against the cushions and eyed the brunette who looked suddenly tense.

It wasn't until Regina heard her professor's name that she payed any attention to the raucous at the table behind where they were sitting. "Wait, wait, Gold, isn't that the gay one?" Regina's heart began to hammer in her ears as she listened to the voice carrying out through the open space, clearly not aware of how to simmer the volume down a bit. "What are you talking about?" the loud person's friend asks hesitantly, and her curiosity spiked to new peaks. "Isn't he the one who has long brown hair and teaches law?" said the loudmouth. "Yeah, he is." the friend responded. "Have you ever seen him with a woman, dude?" "He was married." The other answered clearly perplexed but the loud one hissed out "And now he's divorced." Before adding "And the only person he has been seen with is that younger man, the one with the facial hair." "That's his partner." The friend said before the loud one retorted with "That's what I'm saying! He's his _partner_."

Both Emma and Regina had turned their attention to the table even if outwardly they appeared discreet and minding their own business. "Well, that's clearly bullshit." Emma sighed out in a passive aggressive tone, eyeing Ruby as she made her way towards the table with Regina's usual. "At least it has to be. I mean, I never got that vibe from Neal yesterday..."

"You talked to the younger man they are mentioning?" Regina asked wide eyed, following Emma's words and trying to block out the group sitting behind them. When Emma nodded, she toned down her intensity and asked as nonchalant as possible. "What did you two say? Do you think there’s a possibility you were misreading him?"

"I'm not sure, I mean..maybe? It started out with banter, like I usually do when seeing someone I don't know who piques my curiosity and then I found out that he had brought Gold some papers for something. One thing led to another and I ended up accepting his dare to eat two double cheeseburgers in one sitting." The blonde shrugged before adding "So now we're going to meet up later at some burger joint and I'm going to show him that-" She scoffed, bringing the cinnamon stick up to her nose before saying "-I am more than capable."

Not that Regina was one to talk about unhealthy means, but she did so anyway. "Do you do this often? It's really unhealthy if you do." Regina stated, trying not to show how badly she hoped what Emma mentioned will be a date and not just a friendly meal shared between two people who like to make ridiculous dares.

"What? Accept challenges? Yes! I mean how could someone not want to prove someone wrong? It's one of the best feelings in the world." Regina couldn’t agree more but she always preferred different ways to prove people wrong. A little voice at the back of her mind whispered that she’s still trying and not succeeding but thankfully Ruby cleared her throat, making Regina focus on her roommates and the present.

"So you have a...date?" Ruby said while facing Emma as she placed Regina’s order in front of her. "I'm really good at scents you know, picking up on them - so finding the perfect perfume for someone is kind of like my hobby. You should let me choose one for you, it always works, trust me. One that suits your natural scent, which is impeccable by the way, says so much about you."

Emma shifted uncomfortably in her seat before giving her a nod. Regina sipped the special drink she craved while looking at Ruby with building curiosity and…admiration? Emma’s voice darted out "Sure. Just nothing too floral or too spicy. I'm not a big fan of smelling like a flower shop or like a middle aged corporate chick."

"Your natural scent says much the same, so don't worry." Ruby assured her, a hand finding Emma's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "My shift is almost over, so we'll head back to the dorm once it is, okay girls?"

**_~GQ~_ **

Emma stood near her open closet, eyeing each item specifically and feeling overwhelmed already. Now that the two had mentioned date she wasn't quite sure what to wear, it felt important somehow and she had never cared for such things. "I mean, it could just be a dare." she tried to make it not a big deal, saying that aloud and hoping it stuck to her.

"Or it could be a date." Regina retorted as she gathered up her tablet and papers from the assignment in her law class. She hadn't mentioned anything to anyone about the extra credit, not really wanting to advertise she might be in the running of being an intern. "Are dares usually dates for you?"

Emma turned then, golden curls dancing along her shoulders at the speed of which she had whirled in the direction of her roommate. "What kind of question is that?" she barked.

"You're really tense." The brunette noted, thinking that her comment would usually be brushed off or not being treated as a big deal by her. "You're nervous." She stated while being fully aware that Emma might actually like this mysterious guy. He clearly has made an impression on her, so surely the conversation they overheard that morning wasn’t upsetting only for her. That was somehow comforting to know and for the first time in her life she found herself being more invested in what she knew as “girl time” rather than pushing to achieve whatever goal she ( or her mother ) had set for herself.

At that moment Ruby entered the room with two bottles in hand, lips pulled into a smile. "Is she nervous? That's really cute. But if you keep it up, that sweat collecting on your skin is going to mess with the aroma of the perfume, now calm down."

"The calming one." Regina directed a faint smile towards Ruby and turned her attention to the assignment from Gold's class, trying to multitask at least –old habits die hard and in her case they may never actually do so.

Shrugging, Emma closed the space between her and Ruby, then picked up one of the bottles she saw her holding and gave the perfume a sniff near the nozzle. "Not my type exactly”

“The other one, try the other one” Ruby said in hurry.

She then takes the other while returning the first and gives it a sniff before nodding. "This is actually perfect, I’m so going to wear this and I don’t even usually buy perfume. How did you know?"

"It's like my own little super power." Ruby teased before walking towards Emma's closet. "Listen, the only way to make sure this is going to go smoothly is to choose something that is very you. If you dress up, you're putting too much into it. It's a first date or a first dare. Either way, you can't go wrong with showing up in something that is all you. And if you stress, he'll be able to feel it -- maybe. I can feel it though and it's coming off of you in waves, you have to relax."

"Says you." Emma huffed out, placing the perfume on her night stand before going back to her closet, tugging out a pair of jeans, a gray tank and her red leather jacket. "I'll just go casual. I mean, how fancy can a place like that be anyway?"

Ruby nodded vaguely as she moved over to where Regina was settled, peering over at her papers. "What kind of thing is that?"

"It's a-" Regina's eyes snap up before locking with her friend's. "-something for my law class." She was safe so long as Emma didn't see it, the blonde would know they hadn't been assigned witness logs to go over.

“Okay. This one is actually for you.” She saw a perfume bottle in front of her papers and her stunned face turned to look at Ruby’s who’s smiling at her wide. “Try it on whenever you want, I think it will suit you perfectly. If you have any issues let me know. It would be a first but there’s always a first for everything, right?” she chuckled and her face lit up like a star.

Regina was practically speechless, she had never gotten a present in her life without it being some special occasion and of course without that present ultimately reflecting the giver’s needs and wants -not her own. She huffed out a “thank you” and smiled at her friend, as much as she could without getting overemotional and embarrass herself.

They both glanced over at Emma then who had been stumbling to get into her jeans for around half a minute, falling back on her bed to button and zip them. "The things we go through to wear skinny jeans." Her voice was distant as if she's thinking of something else before she stands to her feet. "I've done my part for your dare-date, clue me in on if partner means a business partner or a partner partner, yeah?"

"You heard their conversation too?" Emma asked, breathless as she rested on the bed for a moment after getting her jeans on finally.

"I'm pretty sure there's not one person who didn't with a traveling voice like that. I think I've seen the guy and he's a looker. Not my type, but a looker. Have fun, Emma." Ruby winked and exited the room leaving the two to the rest of their night.

"Do you think this is good?" Emma asked as she tugged the gray tank top over her head, then situated it nicely on her upper body. "With the jacket.."

Regina gave her a nod. "Of course it's good. It suits you. It's practical yet you look like you put in some effort, so that's a plus."

With that, Emma applied a small amount of the perfume, put on the only pair of worn in black boots that she owned, pulled the jacket on over her shirt and scooped up her satchel before heading downstairs.

**_~GQ~_ **

When she walked into the burger and kabob hut, her eyes went from the tan and purple walls to the brown tables and automatically she felt grateful for not having dressed up for the occasion. The setting made her muscles relax as her eyes sought out Neal sitting near the back, hands clasped at his front before the features on his face lit up at catching her gaze. He didn't have to lift his hand to call her over, but he did anyway and instantly her feet carried her closer to the table.

"At first I thought I wasn't hungry but when I came in, that smell wafted right to my nostrils..." She began as she took a seat opposite him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "...now I'm-"

"Starving." Neal finished her sentence with a nod. "Yeah, I was starving around ten minutes ago and then that turned to famished." He chuckled and smiled at her.

"Why did you come so early?" She asked, leaning forward on her elbows.

"I didn't. You're late." At first she felt the need to retort but seeing him smiling at her still, she regretted it and just managed to whisper ' _I'm sorry'_. "It's alright, I went ahead and ordered for us. That okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's great." Emma nodded before the sound of the guy at the cash register called out a number and Neal slid out of his chair and to his feet, walking over to where the man was standing. Emma watched him as he was paying for the meal, then taking the order tray into his hands before turning and heading back in her direction. "That looks like an awful lot of food. Can you handle it?" She teased, which only caused him to chuckle again.

"Says the girl who is here to prove that she can eat two double cheeseburgers in one sitting. And I intend on holding you to that dare, you know." He sat the tray down before re-claiming his seat at the table. "Two double cheeseburgers for the both of us. A thing of fries to share and..." He scooted a banana shake in her direction and put another one in front of himself. "Good?"

"Hmmm.." Emma dipped her lips towards the straw and wrapped them around it, slowly sucking in the delicious flavor; savoring it on her tongue. Once she swallowed and gave him a nod, she added "...and yellow is my favorite color, so that's a win on your side of the table tonight."

"Oh? We're keeping score?"

The way his brows lifted seemed like a challenge and in every single way, Emma wanted to agree to it and start beating him at their little game until he admitted his defeat and surrendered but the possibility of this being a date made her a bit more…subdued in her reactions. Strangely enough she wanted to make a good impression on him so she was nervous, the girls were right. That never happened with her but.. here she is. The problem was she needed to know if this was a date or not as quickly as possible - her reserved stance didn’t last long. "So...." Taking a deep breath, she decided not to beat around the bush anymore and instead face everything head on. "What is your sexuality preference?"

He nearly choked on his milkshake, brow furrowing at her. "Is that really the first question you have for me?"

"Yes, it is. Why wouldn't it be?" She shrugged, fingers going to the straw in her milkshake.

"Okay, Swan, as you wish.” He smiled and a glint shown in his eyes. “I prefer women. And you?" In truth, he thought the entire setting was obvious. Him using an excuse to get her to agree to seeing him here, away from her learning schedule. Maybe he had one of those faces. Or maybe this girl was proving to be what he thought from the get go: one of the most interesting people he had ever met.

"Men. So far." She gave a nod, half joking but when his smile and gaze didn’t change she felt at ease and liked him even more. He was kind, chill and he made her feel warm inside. Then she remembered the whole reason she had asked that question in the first place and grimaced, chewing at her straw. "Why do you hang around Gold so much?"

Neal was surprised by this question since him spending almost everyday with Gold had been his life for years, surely everyone would know....And then it hit him. "Is there something being said about Gold and I? Is this where these questions are coming from?" He took a sip of his shake as she was reaching for one of the fries in the basket between them, giving him a nod. "Alright, okay. Well, he's my business partner and one of my closest friends, Emma. And that's it. He's been more like a father figure to me than anyone ever has."

"What happened to your biological dad?" When they both reached for the fries at the same time, they wiggled their fingers and pretended to fight for the same fry before bringing one each to their own mouths, giggles echoing from the table.

"He died when I was in my freshman year here. So did my mom. It was a car accident and after the fact..." His eyes didn't find hers, Neal had never been able to handle seeing pity in someone's gaze. He had a good life and most of that was due to Gold never giving up on him. "...it was like I had a bottle glued to my hands. I drank, heavily. Inebriated during every lesson, every day - all day..." The story could go longer, but he wanted to shorten it as much as he could so that they could get back to the light tone they had before. "..Gold sat me down one day and laid everything out for me. Strict, firm. Something I didn't want to hear and yet no one cared enough to tell me straight forward like he did. I'm not going to say I didn't slip up every now and then but thanks to him and his guidance during that period of my life, I'm where I'm at. "

"It's hard to believe Gold would help anyone like that." Emma sighed out, reaching for another fry. "He seems so ... cold and uptight?"

"You don't know him like I do, trust me, he's the nicest man I've ever met in my life." Neal began to dig into his burger and nodded towards her. "Keep that up and you're going to end up full before you finish your first burger."

Reaching for hers now, she cocked a brow in a challenging manner. "I would dare you to eat faster than me but I don't want to rush."

Neal smiled. "That's forward, miss."

The lines that formed around his eyes when he smiled made him look like the most alluring man she’d seen and that made Emma giggle, causing her cheeks to burn. "Says the one who is literally eating as slow as a snail right now."

"If I didn't know any better, Swan, I'd say that you are challenging me to eat faster than you." He moved his foot forward beneath the table and nudged her boot with the toe of his, causing her to jump before noticing what had happened. "You're on edge."

"You don't scare me." She brushes it off and gave him a nudge back beneath the table.

They both dag into their burgers at the same time, never unlocking eyes from each other, pretending to be on the antagonistic streak they both promised each other but their soft gaze told otherwise.

**_~GQ~_ **

Emma tip toed her way into the dormitory, the lights out and the entire building under a blanket of silence as she slowly made her way up the stairs to the room she shared with Regina. Being as quiet as she could, she opened the door and slipped into the room -- the light switched on the second the door shut. "Son of a-!" Emma blurted out, heart jumping into her throat.

"How did it go?" Regina was sitting atop her bed in light blue silk pajamas, her hair pulled back in braids. "The...dare date?"

"Shouldn't you be asleep by now?" She asked, before tugging off her boots and heading over to her own bed, sitting on the edge. When the brunette doesn't respond, Emma gave in and decided to divulge the information now rather than later. "It went well. He's really chill, calm. We get along well. He makes me laugh…"

Emma pauses but Regina nods fervently as she waits with bated breath to hear anything about the rumor.

"Oh, he's not gay. Says he's into women." Emma shrugs out of her jacket, then tugs her jeans off of her frame and drops them onto the floor before slipping beneath the blankets on her bed. Rolling over to face Regina, "And it turns out, Neal thinks Gold's the nicest guy who ever lived. He helped him through losing his parents while he was in college. Kept him away from the bottle and everything. I would have never guessed that if he didn’t tell me and if I didn’t look him in the eye to know he was sincere. Can you believe that though? Gold? I mean....GOLD?". When she doesn’t hear a response from Regina she looks at her directly and that's when she notices the wide smile on her lips. "Is...that a smile?" Leaning forward, she pretends to need to look closer to make sure it's there. She had never seen Regina like that, having that expression on her face, it was almost as if she _craved_  to hear everything she told her. Emma widened her eyes when that smile on her face stayed for longer than expected or was even normal. "Regina, you......do you _like_ Gold?"

"Don't be ridiculous, he's my professor." Regina barked but she could feel the heat burning her cheeks and so she reached for the lamp by her bed and flicked it off, rolling to face the wall beside her bed. "I'm just happy you had a good date." The words that left Emma's lips didn't register, she was certain she didn’t believe her and probably ended up teasing her between breaths until she fell asleep but that smile on her face was apparently glued on so she couldn't care less. Gold’s image found its way to the forefront this time and she reveled in it. His caramel hues bright in the sunlight, glimmering and kind -- she knew she wasn’t mistaken when she saw a certain tenderness in them. His mouth soft and reserved, his suit pristine and luxurious glistening under the sun rays… And oh the way he encouraged her and challenged her -- pushed the drive to be a good pupil, a good lawyer... When her heart started beating faster, thundering against her rib cage, she panicked. She shook off the images, deeming the thoughts as ridiculous and inappropriate and focused on clearing her mind and getting a good night's sleep. She had to be alert at his class tomorrow anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

Gold could hear the rustling of the papers' echo as he fished through them, waiting for his class to file into the room so that he could get this work day over with and pour over more of the evidence during the weekend. Killian would be popping by on Saturday, so he would need something to keep him in his office while the younger man locates whatever Milah wanted so badly. He intended to pack everything up himself but...who was he kidding, he wasn't in reality. Milah knew it so the poster boy would have to invade his space -for the first and last time he hoped.

He had printed out the emails that had been sent to his inbox this morning, shortly before his breakfast. What he hadn't expected was for Regina to have finished the extra credit so quickly, nor had he anticipated such a thoroughly accurate take. Every single person seemed to have been vetted by his pupil. Four were correct, all in town and after numerous calls that she made to their houses -- the report of the events did not waver. Regina had impersonated a reporter from some news column in order to obtain the information she recorded down for him. Two were out of town during the event and had no recollection of the happenings when asked. At least he knew they could be thrown out of the witness stand the second they opened their mouths - thank you social media and thank you savvy Miss Mills. The last two had inconsistencies in their testimonies, up to five differences each time she asked about it and so he knew they would be the ones he would grill, apply pressure, until they no longer held up in court.

The red ink she had scribbled 'PARENTS?' with in capitalized letters caught his eye. He had guessed as much himself but wanted to see if she came to the same conclusion without any hint to sway her mind into thinking as such.

An innocent client. He thought on it for a moment, mulling it over as the tip of his tongue slid along the bridge in his mouth, before letting out a slight chuckle at the odd way the world had begun to turn.

"Good morning." Miss French said as she slid in through the opening of the door, her eyes on him in a way that made him wonder if he had forgotten to button up his dress shirt this morning. After a slight glance down, he realized he had not done so - come to think of it, he would never forget such simple task. Recovering from his slight misstep, he gave a nod in the direction of the young woman and brought his eyes back to what he had been looking at before.

"Shhh. We're not talking about this here." The voice pulled his attention up as he watched Regina walk in with Emma beside her, the two of them talking close together. He could see a smile on the blonde's lips but Regina's were kept pursed until their eyes met - he caught the slight twitch at the curve of them before they pulled into a sweet grin.

He wanted to smile at her, but instead thought better of it and looked back down at the papers, thumbing through them while each student were taking their seat and prepared for what was to come today during their lesson. In truth, he would love to talk about discrediting the work they had previously, but instead he would be pulling something out of his hat this time - keep them all on their toes.

Once satisfied with the low cadence in the room, he lifted his head and wasn't surprised in the slightest when they were all looking towards him. The lights in the room cast a cold tint over eager faces and he could almost see each of them in a room with a client, saying to them whatever he has told so many of his. Almost. "Since your assignment is not due today we will try something impromptu." When he heard a sigh of relief come from one of his students, his eyes followed to where they were sitting. "Yes, David. That means you will not have to force yourself to be funny in an effort to catch the class's attention."

When snickers rose in the room, Gold lifted his hand once again and all fell to a silent shh before going quiet. Clasping his hands at his front he began speaking in a controlled tone as he made his way to the front of his desk. "What we're going to do today is a slight exercise." He then directed his attention to the blonde pupil seated next to Regina. "Miss Swan has been brought in on charges of the murder of a Mr. Nolan..." He pointed swiftly towards David, who began chuckling and making jokes about being dead and how he must have really pissed her off.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to be not guilty here.." Emma swiveled in her seat to try and catch a glimpse of what she thought was the class clown, her brow shooting up in a manner that sent him a message of 'no wonder I killed you'. Once his hands shot up in a mock defensive pose, she turned back towards the front, eyes on the professor.

"Well, you heard her. She pleads not guilty. Name a witness, Emma." His sight flickered for a moment to the brunette seated beside of her and he wondered if she will be the one she'll call upon. For a split second, he hoped she won't so that Regina could play a role in working the case.

"Uhh..." If she were being honest, she had lost herself in wondering which zombie flick she would tune into tonight in their dorm room, that is if Graham wasn't already in possession of the remote. Turning towards Regina, she watched the brunette mouth the words 'witness' and that's when Emma's green hues searched the sea of students. Thrusting a finger in the direction of one of the palest students in their class, she made a little noise to indicate it before noticing that noises wouldn't actually give anyone a show of her having made up her mind. "Her."

Snow stood up, nervous energy pulsating through her temples as she placed her books back in her seat before facing her professor - doing such was only a moment to buy herself some time to think of what to say next in order to be a good witness for her forced upon murderess. "Emma couldn't have done what they are saying. She was with me on the night of 5th July 2008."

"Well done, Miss White." He watched as she held her ground, shoulders squared and he can't help but think these students might do well in some sort of theater project off campus. Pulling his thoughts back, he gives the class a nod and pushes further. "Okay. The murder happened late at night, July 5th. We have our witness. Now, if you'll all indulge me, tear Miss White apart." He noticed the young woman's pale complexion darken as she turned to look over into the student body, her eyes falling upon David. "But Mr. Nolan is a dead body, let's remember that."

Belle jumped up to her feet and whirled in the direction of Snow, ignoring her fellow classmates who had begun laughing at David who managed to splay himself on his chair like a corpse. "Were you with her the entire night, Miss White?"

"Objection! Inconsequential!" Emma yelled out, stepping out of line by acting as her own defense. She knew as much and yet, she had always wanted to say those words and so it was worth the scornful look on her professor's face when he caught her attention.

"Overruled." Gold shook his head, snapped his fingers and watched on in anticipation of what could come out of such an exercise like this. "And please, unless you are called to the stand Miss Swan, do not make this harder on your defense."

"I was.." Snow answered, nodding her head as she feigned innocence, completely throwing herself into the role of a witness on the stand and allowing them to corner her.

"So, you never once went into the bathroom alone?" Belle continued, angling her body so that the side outline can be seen from the front where her professor is standing, the outline of her breasts, she hoped, looked wanton like those many ladies in the romantic novels she likes to read.

Snickers sounded throughout the room as Snow's pale skin flushed pink at the question. That was one she hadn't exactly thought would come up and yet, here they were regardless of her blushing. "Well...I did go to the bathroom alone, but it wasn-"

"And where do you live, Miss White?" Belle cut her off, hugging her books closer to her chest in a means to push her bosom into a more succulent shape. Regina couldn't help but notice how her stance resembled more of a high school princess instead of a lawyer in a courtroom questioning a witness.

"I'm sorry. I don't see how that is relevan-"

"Just state it for the jury. We already know where, we just need you to admit it to the jury." Belle added with a pinch too much enthusiasm, giving Snow a nod that allowed her hair to bounce in the motion she always liked it to when on display for someone she had a crush on, hoping Gold noticed.

"On the street with the record store. The second house to the right, next to the brick."

"Can you be a little more specific..." Belle asked, turning towards her professor and batting her lashes so quickly that Regina almost wished they would fall off.

"Two five four, little dove lane." Snow giggled slightly, her eyes looking around embarrassed at how silly that sounded out loud, she had thought it had been beautiful when it popped into her mind.

"That's only two blocks from where Miss Swan lives." She belted out as if she had found something of use, as if that meant anything other than questioning why on earth she would spend the night with someone so close to her own house.

Regina stood to her feet, hands at her sides, fingers holding onto her notes in her left hand without letting them drop to the floor, as she held her chin up just enough to keep an air about her that settled more on the cusp of a young lawyer who knew her way around a courtroom or two. "Miss White.." She knew that she hadn't been told she could ask questions like a regular courtroom scene would allow, it being stated as her witness, but this was a hypothetical case and if she didn't jump to Emma's defense then someone else would snatch the opportunity to rub Belle's face in the proverbial dirt. "...is it true that Enchanted Creek is halfway across town from where you currently live?"

"Yes, it is halfway across town from where I live, currently." Snow agreed, thinking that was a genius way to discredit where Belle had been heading at Emma having been able to sneak out of her house and back without Snow being aware.

"And how long would you say was the longest that you did not have your eyes on the suspect?" Belle asked, a slight hindrance in her tone as she shot a scowl up at Regina who stood her ground, eyes not even glancing in her direction.

"No longer than five minutes." Snow agreed with a soft smile, her eyes shooting to her professor who looked to be maintaining a complete rested appearance on his features, not giving way to how they were doing in this little show of courtroom spirit.

"What about sleep?" Belle asked, wondering how Regina would twist the opening of this to her advantage.

But of course Belle hadn't thought to state the time of death for Mr. Nolan, nor give any hints at what she could be headed for -- therefore giving Regina room to back her into a wall and yet where was the fun in doing that yet? She wanted Belle to lay out some sort of challenge that could keep her on her toes, not give her the easy way out. So for the time being she opted to simply wait --like a lion ready to pounce on it's prey the second it made one mistake.

"We were in bed by midnight." Snow stated, her eyes wavering over to where Emma was slumped in her chair, eyeing the brunette standing up near her. "Both of us."

"The body was found dead at seven the next morning and they stated the time of death was around one in the morning. How soundly do you sleep, Miss White? I believe it is more than plausible.." Belle turned towards Gold and tilted her head slightly, allowing her curls to settle in the dip of her neck. "...that Emma slipped past Miss White here and out of the house, drove her way to the forest knowing she might have set up a date with Nolan and..." She made a movement of slitting her own throat and Regina wondered what her blood would look like all over the students who sat beneath her tier.

Gold could imagine Belle playing a game of Clue with the type of accusation she was currently reciting in his direction, but still, he did not allow his expression to waver for a second.

"Hearsay." Regina stated, calmly. "The story Miss French is painting for the jury does not have any plausible facts or evidence to back up her statement." And that was the truth. She hadn't said anything about logged evidence nor commented anything to back up her claims and now -- this is where Regina would pounce. "If the jury would allow, I would like to call a second witness to the stand." Her chocolate hues found the caramel gaze of her professor, his eyes locking with hers the second she turned her head enough to look his way. "May I?" He motioned for her to go ahead. "Would Emma Swan...take the stand."

The blonde startled, her eyes burning into the brunette nearest her, brows furrowed as if begging her to not call her out to do this because she knew, she would fuck it up somehow. And yet; Regina didn't allow her to dally, urging her on with a piercing stare that Emma thought could make the dead rise up just to do right by her. Pushing herself to her feet, the tip of her black converse nudging her bag out of the way for fear of tangling her ankles up in the strap. "Yeah, yeah." She slipped past Regina and made her way down the tier, coming to stand a bit further from Gold's desk, assimilating the best she could think of a faux courtroom with him being the judge and her the witness on the stand.

One of the students belted out the "do you swear to the tell the truth" bit, followed by laughter and Emma holding up her hand and pretending to act out the moment she had seen so many times over.

"Miss Swan." Regina began, not taking it nearly as light hearted as her fellow classmates as she moved down the tier to stand near her. "Where were you on the night of 5th July, 2008?" The brunette watched as her classmate shifted where she stood and motioned towards Snow White, then gave a shrug. "Please repeat it for the Jury."

"I spent the night with my friend Miss White. We went to bed at midnight....and we made s'mores before we went to sleep, which only made the night better." Emma turned to face Regina who was looking at her confused, clearly wondering why she had said anything about s'mores before she realized it was just something to allow Belle to think she had caught onto.

"Are you implying that the night got better...after you slept?" Belle asked, her eyes wide as if she were a dog who had just found a bone -- even if she wasn't really making any sense. "...what happened after midnight, Miss Swan?"

"No. I'm saying the night was all the better because we had s'mores before we went to sleep at midnight." Emma repeated herself, using her hands to showcase her annoyance at having to do such.

"Miss Swan. You allowed me to look into your phone records, is this correct?" Regina stated, her eyes going back to the blonde as she watched her admit to it with a soft 'yes' before nodding. "I have submitted her phone records for that day and the next as evidence for the jury to look over. Not one phone call is made to David Nolan from her phone. I have also submitted Miss Snow's phone records from the same day. No texts or calls from Nolan during this time, apart from early in the morning which -- I have also included the time stamps and print outs of the texts that do not state any meetup being planned or given. Mr. Nolan's vehicle was found on sight. The inside of the car held no evidence of anything he planned to do at Enchanted Creek nor did he have a map of the forest that it boasts." Regina sighed, running through the evidence she planned on keeping for this metaphorical case was tiresome, especially when Belle made no effort to give her anything to go on and she couldn't take the throat slitting seriously; Emma looked more like a blunt force trauma to the head murderess. In fact... "My client's fingerprints were not found on the hunting knife found at the scene nor did the wound indicate anything other than a struggle. Emma Swan has never went hunting in her life. She comes from a law abiding family with a background of trust and distinction in this community."

"Miss Swan looks like she comes from a family of officers who hunt on weekends!" Belle screeched, very informally.

"Hearsay!" Regina growled in her direction, upset at her tactics. "Unless you have some evidence to back up your claim, Miss French, I would suggest you take a seat before you embarrass yourself any further." The fact that she had to point out her lack of concise evidence made her skin crawl and her body temperature rise to a boiling point. Where was she keeping that dutiful student facade behind her frantic teacher's pet act? If she could throttle her right then and there she would; especially when the young woman looked in the direction of Gold as if he needed to leap to her defense. Much to Regina's satisfaction, he didn't budge.

"The foot prints at the scene!" Belle called out. "There's a photograph in the evidence log?"

"Is that a question?" Regina cocked her head to the side, locating a weak spot. "Did you not get a copy of every item logged into the evidence locker for this case? Were you not brought up to speed days ago when the court date was scheduled? Or...is there something wrong with your memory that you care to share with the jury?"

"Who lit a fire under your ass?" Emma hissed out, low enough for the students closest to them to hear but not nearly loud enough for Belle to catch what had been said. "Calm down, Miss Drag Me To Hell."

Regina knew that title belonged to some thriller film but couldn't make the correlation having not seen it and with her current fury, she couldn't even try to ponder it if she wanted to. "Shh" She spat in the direction of the blonde, clearly waiting with bated breath as to what her opponent would say next.

"First off.." The accent coming from Belle's lips was causing Regina's stomach to churn now and she hoped the class would be over sooner rather than later so she wouldn't have to be subjected to this lack of decorum. "...My memory is fine. Secondly, it is none of your concern if I were briefed. And third; yes. I know the evidence logged, it wasn't meant to be a question..I just-"

"Right. Okay. So do you want to tell me where in your theory of a hunter being the culprit, leaves the suspect of the murder of Mr. Nolan. Being a hunter, they would have had knowledge of the hobby and how to track prey and how hunters follow prints to find their kill... enlighten me on how someone like that would leave behind their own footprint at the scene?"

"I-" Belle stammered, her cheeks growing darker the longer she stared into Regina's unwavering gaze.

"Exactly." Regina pursed her lips, her features expressionless.

"Then...Emma isn't a hunter like I first thought. Maybe her father is and she hated that, so she used...She..." Belle's brows furrowed as she bit her lip in lieu of thinking about a good retort.

A student in the back stood to their feet, followed by a few others who had noticed. Then a stout blonde with glasses began to state "We have come to a decision." Even if it wasn't how things would go in the courtroom, Regina waited for the verdict. "We find Emma Swan not guilty of murder in the first degree."

"That's more like it!" Emma yelled out, thrusting her fist into the air in mock celebration before shrugging and pulling Regina in for a hug. The brunette went stiff in the embrace, her hands slack at her sides as if in shock of the close proximity her roommate was currently holding her. "Wrap your fucking arms around me, Mills. This is a hug, come on, you just got me off the chopping block."

Regina slowly wrapped her arms around her as the cheers in the classroom grew an octave, even Snow had went over to David and was laughing with him about something. "Congratulations of being acquitted. How do you feel?"

"Like I'll be paying you for the rest of my life." Emma chuckled before parting from the hug that she had pulled Regina into.

"Listen up everyone. Your assignment is due next week. I'll expect it on my desk without any ado considering the amount of time I have given you to perfect it. And since a little drive might be needed... I'm announcing that next week the decision for those who are fortunate enough to intern at my firm will be finalised. Class dismissed." Gold called out as he was already neating the logs off his desk and opening his briefcase. The sound of students shuffling down the tier seating and talking amongst themselves soothed him like nothing else. It was a sort of ambiance that could be understood only from fellow professors, he guessed.

Closing his briefcase he started walking fast as he usually did whenever one of his classes came to an end. On his way up he almost bumped into the last two students, Emma and Regina. As casually as possible he brushed by Regina's side in a swift manner. "Impressive, Miss Mills.", he dipped his head momentarily towards her, whispering, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips as he pushed past her almost without missing a beat on his pace.

Emma kept talking when she glanced to her side realising Regina wasn't moving along with her. Turning over her shoulder in an attempt to locate her, she noticed how she had almost stopped in her tracks. That same smile she had seen the previous night was plastered along her lips and, unless it was the lighting, Emma could bet her cheeks were slightly flushed. "What are you smiling at?"

"I'm just..." Her heart felt like it was beating harder and for a split second, she had forgotten about time -ticking away on her watch. Her brain focused only on the breath that left his lips as the words did, how the warmth of it fanned out along her ear and skin, how he smelled of spice, sandalwood and leather....-- What was she meant to do next? What had been her plan du jour? "...proud of how everything worked out today."

"Okay, well, don't slow us down now. I told you I'm starving."

Regina nodded and picked up her pace until she caught up, having her mind latching on the unexpected brief encounter and savoring it instead of whatever grease filled concoction her roommate was daydreaming about.

**_~GQ~_ **

Gold answered his cell phone, having been waiting for this call to occur since Neal wanted him to speak to the press when the house burnt to the ground and the child witness died. "Hello." He held up a hand to the man at the front, not ready to go back to see Wolfe just yet - not when he was currently talking to a member of the press.

"We're reaching out to you for a statement from either you or Mr. Wolfe on the news of the death of a young witness."

"My client and I's thoughts are with the victim's family and we hope that justice is brought to whoever committed such a heinous act." And with that, he ended the call and switched off his cellular device for the remaining time he would be within these walls. "I'm ready." He stated, clearing his throat as the officer pressed a button, a loud buzzing noise filled the expanse. Gold reached for the door handle but another officer had already began pushing it open, allowing him to slip past him and into the hallway.

Once inside with the assistance of the same officer, he took a seat opposite Wolfe at the table. "I gave a statement to the press. Our thoughts are with the victim's family and we hope for justice in regards to whoever committed the murder. You will not answer anyone when we arrive to the court house. You will not talk to anyone when they ask you questions." Leaning forward, he aimed his forefinger at his client's direction. "I want you to be as silent as a monk who's taken his oath and will not speak for the remainder of his years."

Wolfe gave a nod, shadows causing his features to look even more protruding than they usually do. Playing an innocent coy façade would not work in regards to this client of his. One glance at his face and those judges would think him a monster who is capable of far more than what he is being tried for. "And I want you to use that voice.." Gold snapped his fingers in quick succession. "..the one you spoke to your mother in when she came to visit you the day after your arrest."

"This one?" The cadence was soft, flowing soundly and in some ways made him sound simple minded and ignorant. Gold nodded and Wolfe gave a toothy grin that could be an image in nightmares.

"No smiling." His voice was stern, strict, like a parent scolding a child. "They associate smiling with manic behavior. We don't need that."

"Right. What about people visiting me. What did you find there?"

Gold shook his head. "I'll speak to you over the phone but not with an officer in the room." When Wolfe looked curiously at the officer then back at Gold, the lawyer elaborated. "Anyone can be paid for information. Especially if they have a lawyer who isn't paying any attention to ethical standards. But, I will say that no matter which one they have, they are going to barrel roll you. Do you have anything in your past that can somehow sway the jury to think less of you?" When Wolfe hesitated before shaking his head, Gold knew he would have to do the digging himself if the client wouldn't cooperate. "Last chance before I go digging myself." When he received yet another shake of the head, Gold stood to his feet. "You better be grateful that I haven't dropped your ass in the dirt yet. Especially when you're making this harder on me than it has to be."

Wolfe didn't try to protest when he opened the door or when he began his journey back down the hall to the main desk. The fact that he hadn't, made Gold wonder, slightly amused, what exactly would give his client the impression that he wouldn't find whatever he wasn't giving away.

**_~GQ~_ **

The smell of pizza hung heavy in the air as Regina mulled over the items she would be taking with her on the trip back to the summer estate her mother was so fond of that she visited all year long whenever her proffesional responsibilities allowed her to do so. Her fingertips brushed across the bottle of perfume Ruby had so kindly gifted to her. Having not been able to try it out yet, she felt the need to do so at the dinner but regretted it on the spot. She knew better than to bring it just in case her mother forced her to watch it being poured down the drain in the kitchen -- as she had done so many times with previous fragrances Regina preferred over the years but "were not right for her".

"There is nothing like pizza. I mean I'd prefer it if I were watching a zombie flick and devouring slice after slice but Graham is a dick and has the remote." Emma groaned out from across the room, biting down on the slice in her hands.

Regina placed the bottle on the table beside her bed and walked in the direction of her closet, her eyes running over the items her mother had picked out for her to bring to the campus. She knew bringing any item of clothing would be basically useless considering her mother would have changed her mind about every single one of them and would end up buying her an entirely new wardrobe by the end of the trip. And then it would be Regina the one left to haul it all back to campus. Closing the door, she moved to her desk and shifted through the jewelry and hair accessories, scooting them aside as well for they woud have the same fate or worse if she deemed them not to her liking -- completely destroyed or confescated. So that meant no law books either.

When the ringtone of her phone filled the room, she jumped, heart in her throat as she sought out her cellular device. It took her a beat or two to locate it beneath her suitcase. After pressing the screen to answer, she held it up to her ear. "Hello, Mother."

"Regina, dear. Tell me you have that perfume I bought you before you went away to school?" Cora's voice did not sound nearly as frantic as the sentence would lead anyone to believe.

"I do, Mother." She answered truthfully as she turned towards her desk and took the bottle in hand, the contents still mostly full. She would need to pour some out before heading home If her mother wanted her to pack it.

"Good. Throw it out." Cora waited a moment to see if Regina would make a fuss, the moment she realized she wouldn't was when she dropped the proverbial hammer. "I found a much more suitable fragrance for you. In fact, I believe Leopold will enjoy it very much, prefer it over the scent you have now. This new one is more... je ne sais quoi" Cora's tone flowed around the French saying with ease. "Reminds me of my time in Paris. You know, before I met your father."

"Yes, mother. I know." Regina rolled her eyes, wanting nothing more than to be able to fast forward time so she didn't actually have to drag her body through this dinner with her bio lab professor. "Why did you invite Professor King?"

"I thought that much was obvious, Regina. Don't tell me college already has you getting lost in the ways of how the world works for us Mills women?" She could imagine her mother sitting against the red settee in her bedroom, sipping a bottle of pinot with her hair curled perfectly along her shoulders.

During her childhood, her mother had told her that she should always go to sleep with no lipstick on but with the faintest hint of mascara, brown liner and foundation. Never let your husband see you without a beautiful face on for him; was what she always said and to this day--Regina was sure her father had never seen her mother partake in any beauty regime considering she always waited for him to sleep tending to her skins needs.

"The world works best when we strive for what we want. Mills women never back down from a challenge and always rise to the occasion." She repeated the words that had been drilled into her skull since birth. The satisfied chuckle on the other end of the phone made the hairs on the back of Regina's neck stand on end. Closing her suitcase, she settled on packing barely anything she cared for in fear of losing it.

"Well, look at the time. What are you doing awake so late? You absolutely under no circumstances are to enter this house with dark circles under your eyes. Tend to them before you sleep and as soon as you wake. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Wonderful. I will see you this weekend, dear."

With that, the line went dead. Never any "I love you" or "I'm proud of you" or take cares. No goodnights or sweet dreams.

"You are the spitting image of someone with a stick up their ass when you talk to your mother." Emma stated very crassly as she licked the grease from her fingers. "Literally, pull that fucker out and actually slouch when you're on the phone. It's not like she can see you.

Regina hadn't noticed she was standing with poise, but the second Emma mentioned it, she allowed her shoulders to relax and winced the second pain registered in her brain from having been so tense. "You would too if you knew my mother."

"I doubt it." Her roommate kicked off her jeans then and shimmed underneath the blankets on her bed, turning to face the brunette. "Is it just that one case? You've not packed any clothes or jewelry or even your books to go over your work while you're there." Emma noted slightly astonished.

"I've packed all of my necessities." She had ended up putting one set of books into her bag, because she knew it would be searched and whatever the maids found within they would report back to her mother with it. Therefore, all of her bio lab books and notes were packed neatly in with only number two pencils and red sharpie pens.

"Whatever, goodnight Regina. If you're not here when I wake up, see you next week."

Regina moved her suitcase next to the door, then headed towards her bed and crawled beneath the blankets. "Goodnight, Emma." Closing her eyes, she placed the palms of her hands on her stomach and tried to focus on her breathing. Listening intently with each inhale and exhale, her mind searching for a calming thought. _Impressive, Miss Mills_ floated to the surface and she felt her muscles relax one by one as she repeated it over and over again. She had impressed him, the one person who could win any case given to him. The man who would choose who's interning at his firm. If anything could get her through the dinner at the summer estate this weekend, that single acknowledgement, the possibility of having the opportunity to work for him would be it.


	7. Chapter 7

The drive had been more pleasant than arriving and Regina hadn't even parked her car yet.

As she drove through the open gate and pulled up closer to the larger than life red brick house, she warily eyed the staff standing outside as if this were some Stepford house wife version of Downton Abbey. Rolling her eyes, she put the car in park. She hadn't driven since getting into university, refusing to allow her mother to buy her more cars than she needs, namely flashy useless piece of dazzling junk.

The dramatic two-story entrance boasting exquisite marble, granite and onyx all gleaming from floor to pillar seemed daunting now more than ever as she moved closer towards the smiling woman at the front, wearing her brightest and most extravagant diamonds.

"Regina, Darling!" Cora called out, eyeing her nervously as she exited the car and Regina knew already that even if she had stopped multiple times to correct her hair and makeup, it was never going to be to the liking of the Queen of Downton.

"Mother." Her voice was smooth, like honey, as she walked up and gave her mother two kisses - one to each cheek.

"You need a refresh, don't you agree?" Cora asked, pulling back enough to look her up and down. "I have a beautiful dress for you laid out on your bed upstairs. I have also taken the liberty of filling the closet with the only clothing you're allowed to wear this weekend. And the hairdresser is at hand all weekend long. I insist you let her attend to that unruly mane of yours. And for the love of all things proper, would it hurt you to not slouch?"

At the mention of her posture, she straightened up automatically, knowing all too well what would be waiting for her upstairs. Not just the ideal picture perfect gown her mother hinted at but a custom made old fashioned corset to boot, an unwelcoming reminder of the ones she had been forced to wear during her teen years. "Don't you think having the entire house staff greet me is a bit much?" Regina asked as she began to move past her and into the main landing of the house, to do exactly what her mother had so... _kindly_ suggested, knowing that none of that was up for negotiation - not even remotely.

"Oh no, dear. This display isn't for you. This display is for Leopold. He will be arriving soon." Cora patted her on the back, then moved her hands in a 'shoo' motion before turning and heading back out of the front door and standing on the landing as the Queen of this made up castle she fancied herself to be.

Regina moved closer to the black granite staircase, her hands slipping gracefully along the elegant marble railing as she ascended up onto the second floor. She remembered running up and down the stairs when she were little, could almost hear the echoing giggles ringing in her ears and feel the nervous sick stomach she would keep in fear her mother would hear her acting on childish whimsies. She had never been a child, it was unseemly, she was always a porcelain doll - an adult trapped in a youthful body - at least if you asked her mother, that is what she would say- that's how she treated her anyway. However, she could still remember her father laughing, mighty and reverberating off of the expanse of any room he inhabited.

"Princess!" Henry, her father, poked his head out of one of the rooms on the second floor, a beaming smile on his features that seemed to light up his entire face. "You're here! And you look lovely as ever."

"Daddy" Her voice slipped on her sentimental moment from seconds before and a slight sullen note ended her endearment, causing her father's face to drop. "Oh no, nothing's wrong." She was quick to correct her mistake, openly admitting what had her in such a state. "Just memories bubbling up again, you know how that is."

"And how is college going?" He held out his arm for her to take, which she happily did as he began to walk her down the bright hallway towards where her room had always been. "There're no boys I'll need to have a stern talking to, are there?"

When she giggled, it took her by surprise. Not that she wasn't used to doing it, but with her father it always came from her chest, a bubbling warmth of a feeling as she patted his shoulder. "No. There are no boys." And then she thought best to repeat something her mother had once told her, ommiting the more suggestive bits. "If I allow boys to cloud my judgement, I'll never succeed in getting where I want to in my career."

"You remind me so much of your mother when you say things like that." He admited, eyes looking at her but she wondered if he trully saw the woman she has become or the youthful girl she used to be.

"They are her wise words, Daddy." When she heard the laughter of her mother, boisterous yet feminine giggle, practiced to perfection, she became instantly aware of Leopold's arrival.

"I have to go greet our guest." He relented, his arm leaving her as he turned back towards where they had walked from.

The moment Regina stepped foot into her old bedroom, she regreted on the spot having agreed to come back to the estate for the dinner. The entirety of the room has been re-decorated, every single portrait she had on the walls was gone. Her once pink sheets were now stark white with beading all along the comforter and little streaks of silver thread making it shimmer beneath the lighting in the room.

Her eyes eventually locked with the hairdresser who had already laid out all of the tools of her trade atop the vanity, lights shining bright along the mirror to give the perfect luminance for having oneself dressed up for a night of events. "Alicia?" She asked as she made her way over to the round seat in front of the mirror, sitting as daintily as possible for fear of the hairdresser moonlighting as a spy for her mother, something she has become accustomed to over the years.

"You've grown so much since last I saw you." Alicia stated as she handled Regina's hair with gentle hands, her eyes catching the dark hues of the brunette in the mirror. "You look more mature somehow."

"Thank you." The whole situation put Regina in an awkward position she hasn't been in since she left for college. Being back only reminded her further how much she needed to take hold of that freedom during her time away- as much as humanly possible.

Once Alicia finished putting every loose curl on her head in a perfect position, most tied back with an elaborate hair comb, Regina rose up out of the seat and headed towards the dress, only to be stopped when the door opened, Alicia walked out but was instantly replaced by Madeline, the head maid of their estate. Her hands were clasped at her front as she eyed the fabric on the bedding, cocking her head to the side. "You do know that your mother will insist you wear a full corset with that dress, dear." Regina gave a nod, knowing it had been coming from the moment she arrived, though inside she felt flames licking at the back of her neck and unwelomed memories floating to the surface.

When Madeline closed the door, she moved towards Regina and despite the brunette's protests, helped her out of her clothing. She moved over towards the trash can in her room and tossed the clothes she had been wearing into it. Regina tried but failed to suppress a gasp. "Instructions from the mistress."

Of course it had been Cora's instructions, Regina gave a nod and allowed the woman to help her into her undergarments before aiding her in the tying of her corset. Like in her past, she reached for the headboard, knuckles going white as she gripped with all of her strength while Madeline pulled and tugged at the ties, making them tighter than she had ever had them before, knocking the air completely out of her lungs with each tug that jarred her where she stood. Closing her eyes, she imagined being back at college, in the law classroom and working a case, words leaving her lungs until they were empty -- then a pause where she would breathe in and absentmindedly glance at her professor, eyes eager to continue doing her best in the classroom.

Upon the insistent tap from Madeline, she lifted her arms and allowed her to help her into the dress now that the corset was cutting off every bit of air supply she could pull in. Her breasts were pushed up more than what she thought was needed considering the dress would only show off just a bit of cleavage, a peek, as her mother always prefered when entertaining anyone who is of the opposite sex that she intended Regina to butter up to.

"You're ready to meet with them in the sitting room until dinner is served, miss."

She watched as Madeline made her way out of her bedroom, then went over to her window and pushed up on it until it slid open, allowing a cool breeze to pour through the opening. She inhaled the best she could, her face feeling flushed already at the lack of air she could take in. She let her eyes go over the expanse of the precisely cut lawn and hedges that made up the back of the estate. This had been something she did when she were younger, when she wanted to dream of being free or to grasp hold onto one thing her mother couldn't control so long as she or the maids were not in Regina's room.

Unclasping the window frame, she turned towards the bed, slipped her feet into the heels her mother had laid out for her and then walked in the direction of the door. Out in the hallway, she could hear soft classical music playing - which she was sure she would find it coming from the sitting room where her mother, father and Leopold were all relaxing together before the big dinner.

As she descended the stairs, she tried to calm the thundering of her heart. This wasn't something she actually wanted to do but she knows that no matter what she wanted; her mother would get her way -- as always. As she walked through the entrance, she recognized at once the mask of a person her mother had put on for the show. The kind, dutiful and caring mother who does no wrong and simply wants what is best for her only daughter.

It made Regina's stomach churn.

"There she is! Oh, you really should have had a rest before joining us, Regina." Cora's words were meant for show, her stomach kept protesting as she fleetingly thought of the scenario she had actually dared to utter the request upon arriving and the aftermath.

"It really wasn't a long journey, I feel as refreshed as if I did take one." She assured her mother and gave a quick glance towards Leopold, her eyes finding that the answer was more than suitable considering the way his eyes were roving over her frame to look for something he would not find; any semblance of exhaustion. Regina took the seat next to her mother on the settee, folding her hands together against the tops of her thighs, her spine kept straight as an arrow.

"Regina, as soon as she arrived, began telling me about your class and how it is her favorite course so far at University. Is she not a model pupil as I promised? The smartest of them all." Cora suggested, raising her hand to touch Regina's cheek gently, showcasing her motherly quality in a moment of calculated compassion.

Leopold nodded and took a glass of whiskey the butler brought to him, his eyes on the amber liquid as if he pondered drinking it or not. "She really is. I'm happy to hear I'm her favorite, though, because the feeling is mutual, my dear."

"Is something wrong with the whiskey?" Cora asked, a false smile on her lips as she eyes him curiously.

"It's only that..." Leopold began but then handed the whiskey back to the butler before angling his body on the edge of his seat, coming around to face Cora a little closer. "...I stopped drinking. Three years back, I had this horrible situation where I found myself unable to handle the alcohol I would consume; getting lost. So I vowed not to take another drink, ever again."

Regina could sense being denied herself at least the skinny girl vodka, denied any sort of wine or release from this hell as Cora's lips pulled into a smile and then her mother did the one thing her daughter expected. Cora's hand came to Regina's back, unmoving. "What a wonderful thing to do. It shows you have so much control. My daughter, Regina, she doesn't drink either. She has never had an interest in being inebriated."

"Oh, is that so, Regina? My dear, if so, we will get along very well." When Regina noded at Leopold's question, his lips pulled into a beaming smile and she hated how her mother giggled afterwards, as if she was staking her conquest as a success. Alas, this weekend was far from over.

When the head maid came into the room, only Cora and Leopold looked up. Regina knew not to look in the direction as did Henry, but this was Leopold's first time at their estate; he would come to learn - Regina assumed, especially if Cora intended on this occurring more than once.

"Dinner is ready to be served, mistress."

"Shall we all head into the dining room?" Cora asked, looking around at the three of them with a beaming smile on her face.

The sun had yet to set completely and Regina wondered if that bothered her mother since she has always been such a stickler for everything going according to plan. But she didn't have time to ponder in it, seeing as her father extended his hand out for Cora to take and began leading her into the dining room. Leopold reached out a hand to Regina, she accepted it gracefully and allowed him to help her stand, then escort her out of the sitting room and through into the dining room. His hand felt clammy against her own and his thumb began swirling in an unsavory fashion, but she bit the insides of her cheeks hard, put on a grin and bore it regardless of how badly she wanted to jerk her hand away.

_~GQ~_

His brown hues washed over the notes, eyeing the red scribble once again. It was in Regina's hand writing and regardless of it not being the original, he wanted to reach out and touch it. To put his fingers on something that once had been close to her, beneath her fingertips, but it's all false. It's a copy of the original, not the one that might even smell of her now...

The insistent buzzing from the gate pulled his mind away from his musings and his work. Sighing, he brought the tumbler up to his lips and downed the whiskey in a quick motion, placing it back on his desk and then pressed the button nearest him to open the gate before bringing himself onto his feet and walking out of his home office. It was time to face the music, so to speak and he wanted nothing more than for this weekend to be over and done with.

When he arrived at the door, he unlocked it, then pulled it open, observing as the younger man parked his flashy red convertible the closest to the house. Inwardly, Gold wondered in slight amusement if the lad intended to park inside of the house instead. The look on Killian's face almost made him chuckle. But the last thing he wanted to do was to give him any reason to think they were on a level of comradery.

"The man of the hour!" Killian called out, a nervous chuckle leaving his lips as he made his way to where Gold was waiting for him by the door. Once inside, Gold thrust a finger in the air, pointing up towards the ceiling. "Upstairs or?" The younger man asked, shrugging out of his coat, then turned to find no coat rack in view.

"Attic." He then turned to walk back into his home office, not taking notice of the look Killian had just shot him due to not getting any sort of host-like qualities from the professor as he moved to sit behind his desk and look back down at the paper of the witness logs. His mind though shifted onto what is happening inside of his house. How his ex-wife's new boy-toy was going to be poking his nose in the boxes that he packed himself, all of Milah's belongings inside of a cardboard represantation of what they used to call their home -- which would now be removed from his attic and taken to wherever she was currently laying her head.

He reached out and moved his keyboard closer to himself, pushing the papers out of the way and navigating his computer to his email, clicking on the inbox and slowly searching through the emails. He had a few from the university, some spam. None from clients as they contact his office for that and not his school email address. B. French had sent him two recently. He clicked on the first one to see if she needed any questions answered for her assignment. The subject line was Question, so his mind automatically went to school work, however the content was completely different.

bfrench@uw.edu  
SUBJECT: Question  
Hello sir!! Just wanted to know what channel should I tune in to see the case? If a station will be covering it? By the way, what will you wear to the court room? Do you put a lot of thought into your outfits? If you need help deciding, I can give you fashion advice, don't hesitate to ask.

Can't wait to see you in classs xx

He closed it and opened the next one. His tongue creating a clicking noise within his mouth as he wished Belle would have the decency to keep her emails to school assignments when contacting him and not worry herself over what he would wear in a courtroom.

bfrench@uw.edu  
SUBJECT: Re:Question  
I found this!! I thought you might like it, it's attached. I put the URL of the shop on the image but it's in town so you should be able to go in and get it. I'm not sure if it's in your price range but it would look so good on you, give it a try.

Again, see you in class xx

Navigating away from both emails, he checked through the others, clicking to delete Belle's as well as the spam ones. That was when he noticed one from Regina.

reginamills@uw.edu  
SUBJECT: Case  
These 'somehow' found their way into my hands and so now I am passing them onto you. I thought they might be of some importance.

He clicked on the attached files and his eyes grew wide, what he was seeing were files that would help him in more ways than one in the courtroom. The house that burned down first had insurance; which they cashed in on. The second, third, fourth and fifth items were all report cards that were not as shiny as the expensive house or area they lived in. The sixth, was a scandal that included the husband and his secretary who lived in the same suburban area as the first house. And the seventh was an overdue mortgage bill.

Snapping his fingers, he leaned in and clicked reply. Including nothing in the contents of the message but attaching a internship application to the email and hitting send. When he looked up, Killian stood with his jacket in his hands. "All done."

"Great. Do you want to grab the garage ones while you're here?" He asked, completely disregarding the statement Milah had made about getting them later. Once he glanced to make sure the email had been sent, he stood to his feet and walked around the table. "I'll help you load it up."

"That-" Killian hesitated for a moment, then a smile tugged on his lips. "-that sounds good."

_~GQ~_

During the dinner, Regina was full on her adopted performance, smiling and nodding along to anything her mother said. She feigned a lady like laughter, having had it practiced to perfection. And per usual, she pretended to be sated with the small portions her mother put on her plate - and denied dessert with calm decision.

While the maids took to clearing the table, the four of them began their way out into the back lawn. Her mother made some fuss about something, stating she needed to go over it with the chef real fast — dragging Henry with her and leaving Regina alone with Leopold.

The man was fussing with his dinner jacket and tugging at his tie, nervously. Hook, line and sinker. She had wooed him from one dinner alone, one where she was nothing but her mother’s puppet. If Cora were out here, she would push her to assist him in some way, but Regina felt wary, not wanting to get closer than what was needed.

“Regina, could you please help me with this incessant thing.” He looked to be making a show of it, dumbing himself down to get her close, but she did what he asked. Stepped forward a hair, then reached up and rid him of the tie all together — placing it in his open palm the second he held it out. “Thank you.”

Stepping back, she gave a nod then clasped her hands together at her front. When he stepped off of the back porch, she followed suit — allowing him to walk her along the trimmed lawn and hedges. “The content you missed, really isn’t much...” He stated, reaching for her arm and looping it around, palms fumbling until he had her hand in his. The lecture spilled from his lips as if he were too confident of them, each one following the other with more vigor and enunciation — eager eyes watching Regina’s features as she nodded in understanding and allowed her eyes to widen in something akin to what her mother had taught her appeared to be eagerness to listen and to learn.

He stopped abruptly, far out near one of the trees at the back gate and lifted his free hand, only to allow it to fall between them in a moment of fearfulness — or doubt; Regina guessed. “I feel I am getting mixed signals from you my dear..” Regina only gave a soft ‘Hmm’ in response, wanting nothing more than for this retched day to end so she can crawl into bed and sleep hours away. “...when we’re around company, say your elegant beautiful mother for instance, you are willing — pliable...” She couldn’t help but wonder where he was heading with this, but she couldn’t upset him or she would upset her mother. “...but when we’re alone, you seem forlorn...dare I say scared even?”

“Scared?” Regina chuckled at this, forgetting her lady-like laugh the instant she heard the words coming out of his mouth. “I’m not scared.”

“Good. Because..” He turned his entire body towards her, stepping a little too close for comfort as he brought both of his hands to her shoulders, fingers pressing into her soft skin. “..I would never dream of hurting you. I only want to nurture you, help you open up like a flower and bloom to your highest potential.” The words seem rehearsed and she suppressed a giggle, knowing it would be unseemly to laugh. Regina knew what he had meant behind the sentiment but she couldn’t help but feel he hadn’t quite hit the nail on the head; so to speak.

“Thank you.” She made her voice soft, innocent as she forced a gentle smile onto her lips. When he seemed to be leaning in, she turned her head slowly and his lips ended up on her cheek — a little rougher than she thought they would be as they rub against her, the slipperiness of his tongue darting out to lick the skin only caused her to want to back away but she diged her nails into her palms, clenching her hands into fists at her side as she waited for him to back up.

Once he does, his eyes are heavy lidded - which only furthers her annoyance at the way in which he looked at her, like a tiger to its prey. "Your mother told me that you had French lessons when you were younger. Is this true?"

Regina couldn't help but wonder if her mother had planned this entire thing all along, having her become a mini version of Cora only to push her towards the man that she seemed to think is the moon in the sky. "Oui c'est vrai."

"Brilliant. You know, your mother and I spent some time in France. We learned so much of the culture and the language, it's astounding that she helped you learn something that meant so much to us. And still does..." He looped his arm with hers, his fingertips brushing against the delicate skin on her hand as he began to walk her back towards the house.

"Yes..." She stated, trying to keep her voice calm as her head began to feel light, her feet heavy. Taking in as deep a breath as she could, she tried to ground herself to the moment and keep her mind away from the lack of oxygen making it's way into her lungs. "...Mother is very fond of those memories."

"As am I, my dear, Regina. As am I..." Leopold brought her hand to his lips as they climbed the steps onto the back terrace before making their way inside where the lighting has changed, warmer it seemed, with a nice waltz playing on the speakers in the room. "Cora, your daughter is magnificent."

Regina politely removed herself from her professor's company and moved over towards one of the butlers, who was holding a tray of champagne. She took a second to glance over her shoulder, eyeing her mother and her professor who seemed to be in deep conversation about something. Satisfied that she might not get caught, she took one of the glasses into her hand quickly and downed it in one swift motion, suppressing a cough as she swallowed -- then did it once again with another glass, leaving the two empty ones on the tray. The butler will surely tell her mother that she had two glasses, she would pay for it later -- without a shadow of a doubt.

Turning back towards the room, her eyes fall upon her father who is on his cell phone, texting, which seemed so out of place with as precise and somewhat oldfashioned the dinner had been so far. When her eyes fell upon Leopold, he moved past Cora, who followed behind on his heels, before he stopped in front of Regina. "Would you do me the honor?" He held out his arm for Regina to take.

"I-" She began, her mind reeling as she tried to take in another gasp of air. "-I am not so sure.." Hesitant chocolate hues found her mother's gaze. Cora moved closer to Regina, eyeing her suspiciously as if wondering if it is a ruse, but the second her daughter swayed just slightly, she knows what is happening. Much to the brunette's dismay, it didn't kick in a nurturing need, instead it did the opposite.

“Posture is everything. I had no issues whatsoever when I was your age wearing tighter corsets than you are now. If you faint..” Cora’s voice was soft, quiet and precise as she kept her back on Leopold as to not allow him to see her lips move. “...I will see to it that this weekend is even less enjoyable for you than it has been thus far. Do you understand me? My daughter is not weak, she is strong and can handle the tightest of corsets with poise. It shows self discipline, Regina. How do you expect to excel at anything without that? I will accept nothing less.”

The words were the same she would hear when she were younger and they only served to make the panic rise within her frame, her cheeks burning hot as she willed her mind and body to try and find calming means within her current predicament. “I would enjoy a dance with you.”

Leopold’s expression changed entirely, the look of a man getting his way once again bringing forth the composure and pompous nature he held during classes. “Wonderful.” When he wrapped his arm around her waist and took her hand within his free one, she allowed him to move her, to carry her around the open floor as if she were a doll. In order to keep her breathing steady, she imagined she was in a court room and dancing was a metaphor for how she had the room on the edges of their seats, all listening to the fine points and means of how she intended on winning their favor. She imagined the poise of her frame as she moved with precise decision in front of a jury, each breath and word given with reason and with every rise in the music, she imagined her voice reaching a confident height as she stole the show.

Her heart leapt into her throat as the image of Professor Gold made it's way into her frame of thinking, his hair as poised and held together as his outer appearance. But what if... she imagined if a stray tendril were to fall down in front of his eyes, tickling at his long lashes. She imagined him looking up with a smirk playing at the edge of his lips.

"My dear, your heart is racing..." Leopold's eyes were on her pulse point as she took in an audible gasp. He had misinterpreted her racing heart as something more in his favor. "...I fear I have exhausted you this evening. I shall allow you to retire."

Allow.

Regina pondered on that word for a moment as they slowed their movements to a stop and she took a step back, gracefully executing the ideal curtsy before turning and heading out of the room. As she slowly made her way up the stairs, she felt herself gasping as she began to tug at the dress around her frame, the hand on the railing moving to her throat. She was close enough to her room, she could make it that far, that much she was sure.

When she entered her room breathless, Madeline was already waiting for her with her hands clasped together at her front and eyes wide as Regina felt herself stumble toward the bed, palms going to the bedding. "Just unlace me and get out." She hissed at the maid, tired of this game of being spied upon by every eye in the house. Madeline unzipped her dress and then slowly loosened the laces on the corset while Regina held it to her chest to keep it from sliding and revealing too much of her body. Once her work was done, she left the room unceremoniously, closing the door behind her. Regina fell to her knees, tugging at the corset ( that seemed to cling to her skin just slightly ) and pulling it from her frame, all the while leaving the dress in a crumpled mess beneath her.

Steadying her breathing, she tried to will her spinning head to stand still as she tossed the corset to the side and glanced down at her marked skin, the slight indents where the ribbing had been on the corset having left behind evidence of exactly how tight the garment had been. As her hand slid behind her, caressing the skin of her back, she could count the lines where the laces had cut into her. Sighing, she slid up into her bed, slipping beneath the covers and rolling onto her stomach, burying her face against her pillow. The blankets were soft against her bare skin as she allowed her walls to tumble down, giving into the heaving of her chest as she sucked in a shaky breath and tears began to slip from her eyes. Tilting her head so that she could bite down on her pillow, allowing it to muffle her sobs, she let it all go. Years of pain and manipulation, painful memories from her childhood, aches in her stomach, and the feeling of each sharp inhale reminding her of the binding garment she had been forced to wear for the entirety of the dinner.

It hurt. Everything hurt, as she let go and she felt grateful to have the pillow to muffle her sobs, seeing as she was crying harder now, harder than she has ever cried before and at the rate her heart was beating and her breaths were coming in, it did nothing to help the light-headed feeling in her frame.

Decidedly, she thought back to the day in the classroom when Gold had given her the gift of his praise at how well she had done during the exercise that day and she could't help but wonder if he had gotten her email yet with the scans that he might find useful for the court date this coming week. In some ways, she wished she could be there to see it in person but in others, she felt it would be stepping on toes that she shouldn't even be inching towards.

Could she really help it?

The thought of him alone was already working wonders on her tense frame, tears slowing down and her sobs now a mere inhale of breath as she moves to lay on her side, her eyes aching and staring into the distance as she reminds herself that this is only a temporary situation. She is here for the weekend only, she will be heading back to the college campus tomorrow and back to a place where she has more control than she does here. Gripping the blankets tighter, she curls into herself and brings the day in the classroom back to mind, mixing it with the moment she shared with him outside, and as her body slips into slumber, her tears halt and her heart calms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was debating on posting this chapter for a long time since a) it leaves the story midair and b) I genuinely don't know if there will be the opportunity to continue this story. Life happens and this fic has been a collaboration so I can't take it up on me alone and continue it as planned. If things change, me and GoldenQueenx will continue the story as we have envisioned it. If not, see that chapter as the last sample of our collaboration that I didn't want to waste by not sharing it. We both love this fic very much and we appreciate anyone that might have loved it too so I hope this chapter was a nice surprise for you.  
> Goodbye or a bientot, time will tell.  
> ~HeddaGab~


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